


Destiny Bond

by Washibean



Series: Yuri Pokemon Journies [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Canon x original character, F/F, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Pokemon Journey, Yuri, ghost/human relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24603040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Washibean/pseuds/Washibean
Summary: A young girl named Serena begins her journey across the Kalos region with her starter Ruru by her side, as well as the many friends she'll meet along the way. Some of which may just fall for Serena's charm! Just what will Serena's journey hold?
Relationships: Sana | Shauna/Serena, Serena/Lumiose Ghost Girl
Series: Yuri Pokemon Journies [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778527
Kudos: 9





	1. The Début

It's a quiet morning in the Kalos region's Vaniville Town, where a young girl named Serena has recently moved. Serena lays asleep in her bed, sprawled out across the sheets, and completely unaware of the world outside of her dreams. That was, however, until a small bird Pokémon named Fletchling flew into the girl's abdomen, awaking her instantly. Serena sits straight up after the collision, confused at what had just happened.

"Wh-What was that!? Fletchling!!" The girl jumps out of bed and chases the bird downstairs, where her mother greets her.

"Morning, Serena! You sure slept well! All rested up from the move?" The orange-haired girl nods vigorously in response to the morning greeting.

"Good morning and I was until Fletchling headbutted me!" Serena says as she shoots a glance at Fletchling, who had since landed on her mother's shoulder.

"Aha, sorry about that, I sent Fletchling to go wake you up. It's about time you get going! Go upstairs and get dressed before going outside to meet the neighbors!" Serena's mother says as she shoos the girl back upstairs. Serena sighs and goes to get changed. A few moments later, Serena comes downstairs sporting a black tank top, a red pleated skirt, black thigh highs and shoes, as well as a dark pink hat with a black band. She waves to her mother as she steps outside and is instantly greeted by two new faces. 

The two outside introduce themselves as Calem and Shauna. The black-haired Calem wears a blue and white coat, blue jeans, and black boots. Shauna, on the other hand, wears a much more flashy outfit, donning a pink t-shirt lined with black bows down the front, and short-shorts with large, black frills on the ends, pink shoes that resemble those of a ballerina, and her brown hair is kept up into multiple pigtails. Calem is the first of the two to speak.

"Welcome to Vaniville Town! The name's Calem. I live next door." Calem introduces himself with a calm tone.

"And I'm Shauna! Great to meet you!" Shauna's introduction is much more energetic than Calem's, "Guess what! We've come to get you!"

"Oh, hi there! My name's Serena, nice to meet you as well!" Serena returns the introduction before continuing, "You've come to get me? For what?"

"The renowned Professor Sycamore lives here in the Kalos region," Calem responds, not yet clearing Serena's confusion, "I was told he has a task for five kids, including us. But I'm surprised he knows who you are. You did just move to Vaniville, after all."

Serena looks between the two in front of her, "I see..? Then, where are we going? Is he here?" Serena questions her neighbors before Shauna shakes her head.

"Nope, we're gonna wait for you in the next town over! And you know what?! We're going to get... a Pokémon! C'mon! Hurry! Let's go!" With Shauna's eccentric answer finished, she and Calem rush off to Route 1 and down to the next town. Serena smiles with a slight shake of her head.

"I can already tell this is going to be interesting," Serena tells herself as she follows the path her new friends had taken, leading her to the very short Vaniville Pathway called Route 1. Upon reaching Aquacorde Town, a quaint riverside town with a fountain in its plaza, one of Serena's neighbors calls out to her.

"Hey, Serena! This Way! Over here!" The energetic voice comes from the small, tan girl from before, beckoning Serena over to a table, "We were just talking about you! C'mon, have a seat!" Shauna continues to call Serena over until she takes a seat.

"This is the meeting place, Serena," Calem explains the set up to Serena before turning to the others, "I'll introduce you. Everyone, this is Serena."

One of the new faces speaks up, "Wow... Shauna's description was spot on!" The boy exclaims with a surprised tone.

"So, Serena, this is Tierno. He can really tear up the dance floor." Calem raises a hand towards Tierno who is a larger black-haired boy with a black t-shirt with a picture of Vanillite in the middle and orange shorts, "And..." Calem now looks over to a smaller, orange-haired boy wearing a white collared shirt under a green vest, which has a small Poké Ball icon on the top left side, and black pants, "This is Trevor. He's a little shy, but he always gets perfect scores on his tests."

"All right! Nice to meetcha!" Tierno says to his new friend.

"Nice to meet you both as well!" Serena replies happily.

"You know, it'd feel like we're a closer crew if we call each other by nicknames. Can I call you Lady S?" Tierno asks before he is quickly interrupted.

"What? No way! She's a Li'l S, for sure!" Shauna exclaims almost angrily before immediately reverting to her hyper tone, "What do you think, Trevor?"

"What?! You want me to nickname someone I just met?!" Trevor asks in disbelief, "Shauna, you shouldn't put people on the spot like this! Well... how about something low key? Maybe... something like S-Kins?"

"You should decide what we call you." Calem offers with a sigh as he turns to Serena, who is clearly enjoying the exchange.

"Hm... Well, my friends where I came from always just called me Sera, though I'm not sure why. You guys could call me that if you'd like!"

"Sera it is, then!" Shauna exclaims excitedly, "It fits you perfectly! I'm sure we're gonna be great friends so I'll be sure to call you that!" Shauna now turns to Tierno and Trevor, "Hey! Can we see the Pokémon now? I want to meet my new partner soon! ♪"

"I'll let you all pick, first, I don't mind who I get. I’m also the newest in the group so it makes sense," Serena says to the group of friends who nod in acceptance of the idea. Tierno then brings out a case with five Poké Balls and opens it, inside the balls are labeled Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie, Pikachu, and Espurr. Tierno calls each of the Pokémon out of their Poké Balls so the new trainers can see.

"I say we let Shauna choose first. She looks like she's about to burst from the excitement." Calem states as everyone looks to Shauna, who's practically starry-eyed staring at the starters.

"Yay! ♪ Then, I want to pick Chespin!" Shauna exclaims as she runs over and picks up the small, green Spiky Nut Pokémon. "I'm gonna call you Chester!" The Chespin is caught off guard but seems happy to have been picked first.

"You can pick next, Calem!" Tierno offers after watching Shauna pick her starter.

"Alright. Then I pick Froakie." Calem replies as he accepts the Poké Ball for the blue Bubble Frog Pokémon.

"I'll go before Sera, so you can pick next, Tierno." Trevor shyly offers.

"This little Fennekin looks like they can move! I'm going to go with this one!" Tierno picks up the yellow Fox Pokémon, "We're gonna shred the stage, little buddy!" Trevor then gets up and picks up Pikachu.

"I'll pick this one, then... Nice to meet you, Pikachu." Trevor smiles lightly down at the iconic Mouse Pokémon and picks up its Poké Ball, "That leaves you, then, Sera..." Serena nods and walks over to the last Pokémon left, a tiny, bipedal cat pokemon with folded ears and lilac fur. The Restraint Pokémon backs up as Serena approaches.

"Hey there, little one~ My name is Serena, it's nice to meet you!" Serena kneels to the Espurr's level with a calm smile, trying to keep from scaring the shy feline. The Espurr eventually walks up to Serena, which earns it a pat on the head, "I think your name should be... Ruru!" Serena tells the cat excitedly, eliciting a nod from the Pokémon. Serena then picks up Ruru and holds the Pokémon before facing the others.

"Wow! We go together great! The two of us are just way-ay-ay too cute! ♪" Shauna excitedly claims as she plays with Chester. Calem picks up Froakie, mostly ignoring Shauna.

"Because of you, I can be a real Pokémon Trainer. Thanks!" Calem tells the frog in his hands while Trevor turns to Serena.

"Uh, pardon me, but I have something for you from the professor as well," Trevor tells her.

"Oh? What is it?" Serena asks in response, with a slight head tilt.

"I have something that will help you understand Pokémon on a much deeper level," Trevor then hands Serena a Pokédex, who seems confused by the device, "Um, so you see... That's a Pokédex I just gave you, it's a high-tech device that automatically records the Pokémon you encounter! The reason you get one is because the professor wants us to go on a journey with our Pokémon and complete the Pokédex." Trevor tries to explain from memory, "To put it another way, it's an important mission from the professor. I'm sure of it!"

"Oh lighten up, Trevs! You're way too serious sometimes." Tierno reproaches Trevor before turning back to Serena, "Um, Sera... Please take this with you, too. It's a letter from the Professor. He said you should give it to your mom." Tierno then hands Serena a letter which she accepts.

"Alright! Thank you both!" Serena replies graciously.

"All right! We're done with our errand for the professor," Tierno remarks, "I guess Trevs and I will go look for Pokémon! Let's go, Trevs!" The two boys then depart down towards Route 2 while Calem adds some more detail for Serena and Shauna.

"In Kalos, kids are chosen to carry a Pokédex and go on an adventure," Calem tells the pair before turning to Serena, "But you need to give that letter to your mom before any of that." Serena nods and gets up.

"Then, I'll see you both in a while! Let's go, Ruru!" Serena places Ruru on the ground and rushes back towards Route 1; however, Shauna yells out from behind her.

"Sera, wait!" Shauna runs up behind Serena with a determined expression, "You're gonna be my opponent in my Pokémon-battling debut!" She does a spin on one heel as Serena turns to face her. 

"Alright, then! Let's go, Ruru!" Serena tells the cat Pokémon, who runs out between the two girls.

"OK, Li'l Chester! It's our first battle! Let's win it with style!" Shauna exclaims as the Chespin runs up in front of Ruru, "We'll go first! Chester, use Tackle!" On command, the Pokémon ducks its head down towards Ruru and charges at the feline.

"Be careful Ruru!" Shauna tells the Pokémon who jumps out of the way, "Great! Now, use Scratch!" Serena commands Ruru, who now runs up to the Chespin and scratches it from behind before jumping back.

"Chester! Hmph, let's try a Vine Whip!" Shauna orders Chester who recovers from the scratch as two vines grow out of its shoulders and fly towards Ruru and smacking her around. "Just like that! Keep it up, Chester! ♪"

"Ruru! Hm... Use Leer this time!" Serena tells Ruru who uses a break between two whips to leer at Chespin with red eyes, Chester now pulls back his vines as his defense drops, "Perfect! Let's go with Scratch again!" Ruru nods and runs up to the Chespin and scratches it one more time, Chester, having its defense lowered by the Leer used previously, falls to the ground shortly after and faints, giving the win to Serena, "Yay! We did it, Ruru~" Serena picks up Ruru as Shauna recalls Chester.

"Hey! I wasn't done watching my cute Li'l Chester yet!" Shauna cries from across the makeshift battle area.

"Aha, sorry Shauna.. No hard feelings?" Serena questions Shauna, who seems genuinely upset.

"No, of course not! It is a battle after all!" Shauna replies, her mood instantly back to her usual, eccentric self, "Anyways, I'll see you when you get back, we're going to Avance Trail!"

"Alright, thank you! I'll see you soon!" Serena waves as she turns and returns to Vaniville Town, and after a quick exchange with her mother is allowed to go on a journey. Serena now heads to Route 2 where Calem and Shauna wait patiently.

"Hi, Sera!" Shauna is the first to call out, causing Calem to turn around, "Come learn how to catch Pokémon with me!"

"Okay!" Serena walks up to where the two stand. Calem nods and turns back to the grass.

"Watch carefully," Calem says as he steps into the grass and encounters a wild Bunnelby, which he has Froakie use Bubble on before throwing a Poké Ball and catching the Bunnelby, much to Shauna's amazement.

"Wow! The Pokémon went INSIDE the Poké Ball?!" Shauna exclaims, apparently forgetting that her Chespin is in a Poké Ball as well. Calem sighs before handing the pair some Poké Balls of their own.

"Poké Balls! ♪ Do you think I can catch Pokémon with them, too?" Shauna asks with a curious voice.

"If you throw a Poké Ball at a Pokémon around here, you'll probably catch it," Calem responds, an annoyed tone rising in his voice.

"OK! If I find a cute Pokémon, I'll throw lots of Poké Balls at it, and then we'll become friends! ♪" Shauna tells the group as Calem explains other, smaller benefits to catching Pokémon to Serena.

"Be seeing you," Calem states as he walks off towards the forest, giving a small wave above his shoulder. Serena follows suit, looking for any Pokémon on the Route she may want to catch, though, Serena finds nothing of interest and enters Santalune Forest. She manages to take a few steps before Shauna's voice calls out behind her.

"Seraaaa! Wait up! ♪ Let's walk together!" Shauna runs up behind her with the request, "I feel like something exciting will happen if I stay by you! ♪"

"Something exciting? Well, even if that’s not the case, I’d be happy to have you join me~" Serena accepts the request, allowing Shauna to follow along.

"Yaay! ♪" Shauna sings happily as she walks up beside Serena, "Let's go then!" The girls now wander through the forest path with Serena walking through tall grass looking for Pokémon.

"Oh, look at this!" Serena calls Shauna over to where a small, black, and white caterpillar lies.

"Aww, it's cute! ♪" Shauna gushes over the Pokémon laying still in the grass, "Are you gonna catch it?"

"I'm gonna try! Let's go, Ruru!" Serena calls out as she throws a Poké Ball into the air, causing light to come and take the form of an Espurr before taking Ruru’s lilac coloring. According to Serena's Pokédex, the creature is called Scatterbug and is classified as the Scatterdust Pokémon. The Scatterbug wakes up startled by the commotion and attacks Ruru by charging at her much in the same way Chester had done earlier that morning. It connects, though, it barely phases the cat Pokémon. "Ruru, use Scratch!" Serena commands Ruru, who runs up to the caterpillar and scratches it, causing it to go down with very little effort. Serena now pulls out one of her Poké Balls from before and hurls it at the weakened Scatterbug, it shakes once... twice... thrice... Finally, the Poké Ball clicks, signaling that Serena had caught the Pokémon!

"You got it! Are you going to nickname this one, too? ♪" Shauna inquiries, seemingly more excited about Serena's capture than Serena herself. Serena thinks for a moment before responding to Serena and picking up the ball.

"I'm gonna name her Papi!" Serena says, nicknaming her new Pokémon.

"I like it! ♪" Shauna says, "I heard that Pikachu live around here! I wanna see if I can find one!"

"A Pikachu? Well... I can help you look if you'd like!" Serena offers happily.

"Really?! ♪ I would love that, thank you!" Shauna accepts the delightful offer and begins searching through the grass with Serena. The grass in the forest is thicker than the patches out on Route 2 and harder to see into, let alone move through.

“Then, let’s get to it!” Serena declares as she and Shauna begin sifting through the grass. A little while later, Shauna seems to have had enough.

“Why are there so many plants here?!” Shauna asks angrily before stomping on the grass to try and flatten it.

“Well, the Pokémon need to hide somewhere~” Serena answers the rhetorical question.

“I guess you’re right… But it makes it so hard to find anything!” Shauna exclaims before something catches her eye, “Oh! Hang on a second, Sera! ♪” Serena looks up to see what Shauna was doing. Shauna then returns to Serena and hands her a yellow bottle, “Look what I found, Sera! I’ll give it to you!”

“Is this a paralyze heal? Thank you! I’ll be sure to use it soon!” Serena smiles at the girl with gratitude before placing the item in her bag.

“I love puzzles, so I watch everything more closely than you might think! ♪” Shauna states proudly before turning back to the grass, “You know… I change my mind, I don’t want a Pikachu now.”

“Why not? Did something happen while you were over there?” Serena questions Shauna with a slight hint of worry.

“Oh, no! It’s just that Trevor received Pikachu as his first Pokémon, and me having one as well could ruin how special that Pikachu may be to him! So, I’ve decided to catch different Pokémon! ♪” Shauna explains, nodding with an understanding of her reasoning.

“I see, that’s nice of you, you know~,” Shauna tells the girl, “In that case, we should probably hurry up, the others ran past as we were searching!” Shauna looks around to notice that it’s true.

“Eh?! Hey, guys! Wait for us!!” Shauna calls out into the trees as she darts off down the path, eliciting a grin from Serena, who picks up her walking pace to keep up with the energetic girl. Eventually, the pair reach the others, who have been waiting patiently at the end of the forest.

“So, you two finally got here,” Calem is the first to speak up once the girls arrive. Shauna is much more worn out than Serena is, to which Calem remarks, “To be able to keep up with someone like Shauna without breaking a sweat, it seems like I’m neighbors with someone who has a lot of potential.”

“The way Pokémon move-- it’s just incredible! I want to show off some of that spirit when I dance!” Tierno exclaims.

“Tierno…” Trevor sighs, “Could you think about something besides how Pokémon move for once?” Trevor implores the dance-crazed boy before Shauna cuts through the crowd.

“We’re all here! Let’s go to Santalune City! ♪” Shauna declares before the friends agree and head to Ouvert Lane, also known as Route 3. As soon as the group exits the forest, Santalune City, a small town consisting of a Pokémon gym, the Trainer’s School, a boutique, and a Roselia-shaped fountain at its center, can be seen just up ahead. Most of the friends rush straight to the city, Serena and Shauna hang back for a bit to do some training.

Near the end of her training, Serena encounters a Burmy which quickly gets on her nerves. Shauna, who had finished before Serena and stuck around to help with healing, was watching with an amused expression as the Burmy protected itself multiple times in a row.

“Do you need help with that, Sera? ♪” Shauna called out almost sarcastically.

“No, I’ve got this! It’s just a bit annoying, is all!” Serena replies as Ruru finally manages to faint the Bagworm Pokémon, “And I’m done!” Shauna snickers and turns towards the city.

“I’m going to go explore Santalune for a while, I’ll see you later!” Shauna tells Serena as she runs off towards the town. Serena waves to the girl before following her lead. Once in Santalune City, Serena wanders around for a bit before coming across a boutique.

“A boutique? Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look around… This hat, especially, is getting a bit old.” Serena tells herself as she enters the shop, only to be instantly greeted by a worker and offered a changing room. She accepts the offer and heads in to look through what the store offers before trying on a white cycling cap.

“Oh! This one is cute!” Serena uses a mirror in the room to perfect the angle of the hat before stepping out and paying for the hat. With a new hat on her head, Serena heads to the Santalune City Gym, where she plans to start her badge-collecting journey.


	2. The Professeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena has reached Santalune City and now stands at the Santalune City Gym's doors, will she succeed in taking down the gym leader, Viola?

Serena stands at the doors to the first gym of her journey, hesitating on entering. The girl nods to herself and opens the doors to reveal a small room with pictures of bug-type Pokémon lining the otherwise plain walls. The most noticeable pictures being those of Metapod and Butterfree on the backside of the room. In the middle of the room sits a pole down into the gym, which Serena takes before landing on a giant spider-web designed puzzle.

“Woah..!” Serena calls out as she tries to regain her balance, “Why is it a balance puzzle..?” Serena examines the web, before noticing weaker strings meshed in, “A balance puzzle and a maze?!” Serena sighs as she carefully makes her way through the web, defeating gym trainers and causing dewdrops to fall from the web along the way. Eventually, Serena reaches a large, wooden platform near the back of the gym with a woman situated upon it, watching Serena as she approaches.

“That determined expression… That glint in your eye that says you’re up to the challenge… It’s fantastic! Just fantastic!” The girl states as she looks over Serena, evoking a confused look from the new trainer, “Is this your first time challenging a Gym? Fantastic!”

“That’s right.” Serena nods as she confirms the Gym Leader’s theory, “My name is Serena, from Vaniville Town!”

“Oh, that’s not too bad of a walk. My name is Viola, the Santalune City Gym Leader and lover of all bugs!” Viola introduces herself, as well. The curly, blonde-haired Gym Leader wears a white tank top, green, cropped pants lined with pockets, and carries multiple cameras with straps, “Whether it’s the tears of frustration that follow a loss or the blossoming of joy that comes with victory… They’re both great subjects for my camera! Fantastic! This will be just fantastic!” Viola proclaims as she lifts her larger camera, “Now come at me! My lens is always focused on victory-- I won’t let anything ruin this shot!” Viola then takes a sudden picture before throwing out a Poké Ball that reveals a Surskit.

“This should be fun! Let’s go Ruru!” Serena shouts as she throws a Poké Ball of her own up to reveal an Espurr.

“The first move is yours, trainer!” Viola calls out from behind the opposing Surskit.

“Alright, then, Ruru use Confusion!” Serena directs the little cat Pokémon, who raises its ears, causing a purple wave of energy to surround the Surskit, who looks around at the momentary environment the move causes. The Surskit, however, snaps out of it quickly.

“That was nothing! Surskit use Bubble!” Viola takes a picture as her Surskit creates bubbles that it fires towards Ruru, who is coated in the bubbles before they pop. Ruru shakes off the water seemingly taking very little damage.

“Now, use Leer!” Ruru nods as her trainer commands her, Ruru’s eyes glow red and shoot a glare at the Surskit, “Great! Now use Covet!” Ruru approaches the Surskit before swiping at it and jumping back, Surskit gets sent back slightly.

“Tactics like that are just what I love to see! Fantastic! Surskit return the hit with Quick Attack!” Viola gives a thumbs up from behind her camera as Surskit draws in energy and makes a dash towards Ruru, landing direct contact! Ruru jumps back after the hit and lands on all four feet.

“That was a big hit, are you alright, Ruru?” Serena asks the Pokémon, who nods and gets back up, “Great! Use Confusion one more time!” Ruru repeats the aforementioned move, causing the Surskit to look around until suddenly it spins around and faints, “You got it!” Serena pets the little cat as she congratulates Ruru.

“It’s not over quite yet! Let’s get the perfect shot, Vivillon!” Viola throws out another Poké Ball, this time a large butterfly takes shape from the light, its wings being pink, red, and black. “Let’s hit them with an Infestation!” On command, the Pokémon fires out scales from its wings that stick to Ruru like bugs.

“This isn’t a good matchup… Ruru return!” Serena attempts to call the Pokémon back, but the scales on its fur refract the light away from Ruru, “Wh-What?”

“It appears you don’t know. Infestation keeps the target from switching out! Let’s hit her with a Tackle, Vivillon!” Viola informs the trainer as the butterfly Pokémon charges at Ruru, landing a hit and sending Ruru back. Ruru seems fine until the scales suddenly move and Ruru faints, “And also does damage between turns!”

“Ruru!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon before recalling Ruru, “You did well… Let’s finish this, Papi!” Serena declares as she throws a Poké Ball out, calling a small cocoon Pokémon to appear.

“A Spewpa! It’s so cute! Look at all its little scales! Fantastic! Just fantastic!” VIola gushes at the cocoon before commanding Vivillon once again, “Let’s hit it with another Infestation!” Once again, the Vivillon shoots scales out that stick to Papi like glue.

“Be careful, Papi! Use Harden!” Serena tells her Pokémon, who’s body goes gray for a second, raising the Spewpa’s defenses, “Now, use Tackle!” Spewpa nods as it jumps up towards Vivillon.

“Dodge it, Vivillon!” The much faster Vivillon quickly darts out of the way, “Now use Tackle yourself!” Now, the butterfly charges at the falling Spewpa and hits it into the ground.

“Papi! Are you alright?” Serena asks the Pokémon who jumps up into an upright position before starting to glow.

“Now this is prime photography! It seems your Spewpa is evolving!” Viola calls out as she takes multiple photos of the Spewpa as wings sprouts from its back and antennae from its head. Soon, the glow disappears and Papi takes off into the air, her wings mainly red with a modern aesthetic of blue, yellow, and white markings.

“Let’s go, Papi!” Serena cheers on her newly evolved bug Pokémon who turns to the opposing Vivillon and fires out scales of its own that directly target the opponent, “You learned a new move, too!”

“That would be Struggle Bug! Many Vivillon learn it upon evolving! This is getting interesting! Let’s use Tackle again!” Viola calls out as the pink-winged Vivillon charges at Papi once again.

“Not this time! Papi use Stun Spore!” Papi shakes her wings sending small scales towards the approaching Vivillon and locking its wings into place, causing the opponent to fall, “Perfect! Use Struggle Bug!” Papi flies in a circle around the grounded butterfly, sending scales down in mass. Papi stops and flies to Serena, revealing that Viola’s Vivillon was defeated as Viola puts her camera down.

“Fantastic! Just Fantastic!” Viola calls out as she returns Vivillon to its Poké Ball, “Young Serena, you… No, it wasn’t you alone. You and your Pokémon have shown me a whole new depth of field!” Viola walks over to Serena and hands her a bronze, ladybug-shaped badge.

“Thank you!” Serena states her gratitude as she accepts the badge.

“This Bug Badge signifies that you have defeated me fair and square! And here! This TM commemorates your win against a pro photog like me.” Viola then hands Serena a light green disc labeled TM:83, “That’s the TM for Infestation! Using a TM like that one there lets you teach your Pokémon some new moves quicker than a shutter set to 1/1000 can snap shut! TMs are some of the best gear around. They’re point-and-click easy, and you can use them over and over again!” Serena nods in understanding, “Now then, can you zoom in a bit to check out the tent behind me? Take the stairs that you find beyond it, and you’ll be back up to the entrance faster than a flash!”

“Thank you once again for the battle! It was fun!” Serena waves to Viola as she departs from the gym, and after a quick heal at the Pokémon Center heads to Parterre Way, better known as Route 4, “I wonder what kind of Pokémon would live in the flowers… Maybe some grass and bug types?” Serena lists off possible Pokémon to herself as she inspects the red and yellow flower petals.

After a while of searching, Serena spots something odd. An orange flower lays atop some red flowers not too far from her, and a small object can be seen on top of the flower among its filaments.

“That looks like it may be something… Ruru, let’s go check it out.” Serena whispers down to the cat Pokémon she had allowed to walk with her not too long ago. The pair creep up to the oddity before the shape of the object becomes clear enough to see, “It’s a Pokémon..!” Serena pulls out her Pokédex and scans the tiny creature. The Pokédex gives Serena the information of Flabébé, the Single Bloom Pokémon. She gives Ruru a nod, “Let’s catch this one. Use Confusion!” Ruru jumps up out of the flowers and creates the energy wave from its ears as it had done during the gym battle.

The Flabébé is startled by the sudden battle and floats up with its flower before flipping the flower head towards Ruru and creating a gust that blows Ruru’s energy back. Ruru jumps out of the way of the oncoming gust.

“So that won’t work? Let’s go with a Covet!” Serena tells Ruru, who approaches the flower-riding Pokémon and swipes at the nymph riding on top, “Good work! I know something that may help, Ruru stand back for a bit.” Ruru nods and steps behind Serena, who throws a Poké Ball out which released Papi, “Alright Papi, while the Flabébé is down, use Stun Spore!” Vivillon spins in the air, shooting tiny scales off towards the wild Pokémon, locking up its movements, “Perfect! Now, let’s go with this!” Serena pulls a Poké Ball out of her back and throws it at the Pokémon. The ball wiggles three times before clicking, the Flabébé was caught!

“We got it! Thank you for the help, Papi!” Serena congratulates the butterfly Pokémon before recalling it and picking up the new capture, “Hm… How does the name Citrus sound, Ruru? Since she has an orange flower?” Serena questions her starter on the name, who nods, “Citrus it is, then! Let’s go, I believe our next destination is Lumiose City.” Serena then continues down Route 4 towards the largest city in Kalos.

Serena takes on a few trainers and continues looking through the flowers for anything else she may find. Eventually, Serena comes up to the Lumiose City gate. She’s about to enter when she notices two people in white suits, the boy with a blue tie and the girl with a red tie, standing at the entrance. One of them spots Serena and turns to talk.

“Hello there! Have you heard of a Pokémon called Flabébé?” The boy asks Serena suddenly.

“Flabébé? Oh, yes! I just caught one not too long ago!” Serena responds as she looks through her bag for Citrus’s Poké Ball.

“Oh! I see! That’s what I would expect from one of the professor’s handpicked Pokémon Trainers!” The boy responds, not waiting to see Serena’s Flabébé. Next, the girl with him speaks up.

“Flabébé is-- now brace for it-- a Fairy-type Pokémon!” The girl states excitedly, just adding to Serena’s confusion.

“Fairy type is a new Pokémon type that was just classified recently.” The boy continues before the girl cuts in.

“This turned the entire type-matchup system on its head!” She exclaims. Serena looks between the two suspiciously, “And we’ve been battling Fairy-type Pokémon against other types of Pokémon at Professor Sycamore’s request.”

“I… see..? Then, who are you guys?” Serena asks with a tilt of her head.

“My name’s Sina! It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful lady!” The girl responds with a slight narcissistic tone.

“I’m Dexio.” The boy resumes, “Two years ago, Professor Sycamore entrusted me with a Pokédex. You could call me a Pokémon-voyage veteran.”

“So vain…” Serena mutters to herself before Sina once again cuts in, this time with something Serena wants to hear.

“If you’d like, I’ll show you the way to the lab. So, come along now!” Sina offers to the confused trainer.

“Uh… Sure! That would be a big help.” Serena nods, accepting the proposal. With that, Dexio and Sina walk off through the gate, “What was that..?” Serena sighs as she follows the pair and enters Lumiose City.

Upon entering Lumiose City, Serena looks around at the sheer scale of the buildings around her. The city is laid out with 2 large boulevards making a circle around the city plazas and avenues that lead to a central plaza housing a large tower. Despite the scale, however, Serena quickly learns that most of the city is experiencing a blackout and she would not be able to explore the entire city.

“I’ll go ahead and wait in front of the lab for you!” Sina says as she walks past Serena and down South Boulevard.

“Follow her that way to the lab,” Dexio tells Serena before returning to Route 4.

“Alright then… Let’s go, Ruru.” Serena looks down at Ruru, who had been following at her feet. The two follow Sina to a seemingly out-of-place building where Sina stands.

“This building is the Sycamore Pokémon Lab! Let’s go inside!” Sina tells Serena as she walks up to the lab’s pathway before walking inside herself. Serena takes a moment to look at the old building before walking in herself. As Serena enters, Sina turns around and speaks to her again, “You’ve traveled a long way from Vaniville town, but you’re finally here! The professor can’t wait to meet you. You can find him on the third floor, so hop in the elevator!”

“Alright, thank you,” Serena tells the girl almost dryly before stepping into the elevator and heading to the third floor, “Strangely, it’s only been about half a day,” Serena mutters to herself as the elevator comes to a stop. The door opens to reveal a tall, black-haired man in a lab coat, blue shirt, and black pants.

“So we finally meet. Fantastic! You’re finally here! Come this way, won’t you?” The man says to her before walking off around a corner. Serena gives him a confused look but follows anyway, “Many thanks for coming all the way from Vaniville Town! I’m Professor Sycamore! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” The man says as Serena turns the corner.

“Oh! I’m Serena!” Serena introduces herself as she does a small curtsy, “Thank you for having me.”

“Of course!” The professor responds joyously, “How is your Pokémon journey going so far? Have you met many different Pokémon?” Serena nods.

“I’ve met a lot just by looking around! I’ve also caught a few since the one you gave me.” Serena responds as Ruru comes out from behind her leg.

“Fantastic!” Professor Sycamore exclaims as he grabs some Pokémon treats for Ruru, “Let me have a quick Pokédex and see!” The professor examines Serena’s Pokédex after giving her the treats. Serena gives Ruru some treats and leaves some for Papi and Citrus, “Oh ho! The pages are getting filled in. It’s starting to look good!” Serena stands back up to face the professor, “Well now, you DO have a certain je nais sais quoi! I have a good feeling about you!”

“Je nais sais quoi..?” Serena mutters to herself before shrugging when the professor continues.

“At first, I was thinking of choosing only one child from a town when I was deciding who to give a Pokémon to. In Vaniville Town, it was going to be the child of a Veteran Trainer I know. About then, I learned that the Rhyhorn racer Grace and her daughter were moving here.” The professor says, explaining his reasoning for having three new trainers, “Here in Kalos, you’re far away from everything you used to know… That really hit me right here… Then it hit me-- I should give you a Pokédex and have you travel around Kalos!”

“I see… This journey has been really fun so far! I’ve met tons of new Pokémon and people!” Serena tells the professor before a recognizable voice speaks up behind her.

“Hi professor, it’s Shauna. ♪” Serena’s brown-haired friend walks up behind her with Calem shortly after.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” Calem says, apologizing for being slow to reach the lab.

“Fantastic! Now, let’s all have a Pokémon battle!” The professor tells the batch of trainers before turning back to Serena, “Your opponent shall be me!” Serena nods as Shauna and Calem begin their battle.

“Alright Ruru, let’s show him what we’ve got!” Serena looks down at Ruru who runs out between Serena and Professor Sycamore.

“Let’s go, Bulbasaur!” The professor calls out a small, green, reptile-like creature housing a bulb on its back, “I’ll allow you to go first.” Serena nods.

“Alright, Ruru! Use Psybeam!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon, who lifts her ears, puts her paws together, and fires a multi-colored beam at the opposing Bulbasaur. The Bulbasaur slides back due to the hit but regains its footing quickly.

“A perfect first move! Let’s return that perfection with Vine Whip!” The professor tells his Pokémon who has two vines grow out from under its bulb and fly towards Ruru.

“We’ve dealt with this before, Ruru! Dodge it!” Serena reminds her Pokémon of their first battle, Ruru prepares for the oncoming attack and leaps out of the way with ease, “Yes! Now, use Confusion!” Ruru, still in the air, fires the psychic energy wave at Bulbasaur who is surrounded in it and soon falls much in the same way as Viola’s Surskit.

“Bravo, using a super effective move against my Bulbasaur!” The professor recalls Bulbasaur and sends out another Pokémon, “But we’re not done yet!” The Pokémon takes the shape of a small, bipedal, blue turtle, “Come on out, Squirtle!” Serena examines the Pokémon for a moment before recalling Ruru.

“Ruru, let’s have one of my other Pokémon get some battling in.” Serena tells the Pokémon before sending out Citrus, “It’s your turn! Citrus use Razor Leaf!” The small Pokémon housed on an orange flower flips its flower to face the Squirtle and fires razor-sharp leaves towards it.

“Squirtle, use Withdraw!” The professor directs his Pokémon, who tucks itself in its shell, taking little damage from the leaves, “Hit them with a Water Gun!” The Squirtle pops out of its shell and shoots a stream of water from its mouth directly at the opposing Flabébé. Citrus is hit but easily recovers after shaking it’s flower dry.  
“Good job, now let’s try something different! Use Razor Leaf followed by Fairy Wind!” Serena calls out her strange tactic to the confused Pokémon, but it listens and directs its attacks towards Squirtle. With the help of the Fairy Wind, the leaves move much faster than before! Before Professor Sycamore could speak, Squirtle is pelted with leaves that send it flying past the professor and fainting.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like that before, keep it up!” Professor Sycamore recalls his Squirtle and sends out one final Poké Bal, this time an orange lizard with a fire-tipped tail appears, “Show them what you’ve got, Charmander! Use Ember!” The lizard faces Citrus and shoots a fireball from its mouth. Citrus floats up to dodge it but the fire hits the ground under the Flabébé and burns upwards.

“Citrus! Use Fairy Wind to put the fire out!” Serena orders, looking for a way to help Citrus. Citrus nods and uses Fairy Wind again, however, is interrupted by Professor Sycamore.

“Now, use Smokescreen!” The Charmander shoots smoke from its mouth, completely blinding Citrus.

“Citrus, be careful!” Serena tells her Pokémon, but it’s too late, the opponent’s Charmander had run through the smoke and used Scratch on Flabébé. As the smoke settles, Serena recalls Citrus, “You did well. Let’s try this, instead, Papi!” Out of Serena’s Poké Ball comes a red butterfly who flies up above Charmander, “Use Stun Spore!” The Vivillon shakes its wings violently, scattering scales all around the Charmander, who has its movements restricted.

“Ah, a wonderful move strategy! Charmander, burn it off with Ember!” The professor says to his Pokémon, who immediately starts firing embers at the littered scales, burning them up.

“Now’s your chance, Papi! Use Psybeam!” Papi stops scattering scales and uses its antennae to fire a similar beam to the one Ruru had cast earlier in the battle. Due to Charmander being distracted and slowed, the beam makes a direct hit. Charmander falls to the ground and faints, “Yay! We did it!” Serena jumps up excitedly and hugs Papi before returning her to her ball.

“Ha ha! You’re too much for me! You really are something, aren’t you?” The professor admits defeat and recalls Charmander, “I think I’ve figured it out!” He calls out, causing Shauna and Calem to look over as they had finished their battle before Serena and the professor.

“Figured out what?” Shauna asks, curious about the professor’s sudden statement.

“Serena! You are an interesting Pokémon Trainer indeed!” He says, answering Shauna’s question

“Am I really? I don’t feel much different from Shauna or Calem…” Serena says in a confused tone.

“You all are interesting trainers! And I hope to be able to battle you all soon.” The professor responds as Tierno and Trevor show up, “Wonderful! Everyone’s all here!” The professor continues, “So now that we’re all here, I’d like to say a few words.” The trainers exchange glances before looking back to the professor, “Be the best Trainer you can be! At the same time, remember to have fun traveling with your Pokémon!”

“I’m already having fun, so it can’t be too hard to continue!” Serena responds, eliciting an agreement among the friends.

“Also, I wanted to ask for your help in solving the Kalos region’s biggest mystery: the secret and potential of Mega Evolution, a new kind of evolution that occurs in battle!” The professor declares, the group of trainers accepting the task. The professor recommends Camphrier Town to the traveling trainers, marking their next destination. With that, the group heads back downstairs to disperse, Serena being last. As Serena leaves, she finds a tall, red-haired man in a fashionable suit walking into the lab and talking to Sina.

“So, I will be able to meet them soon, then?” The man asks Sina, to which she nods her head, “The children chosen by the professor… I wonder what potential they have.”

“And here’s one of them now…” Sina says, turning to Serena who had just exited the elevator, “That’s Serena. Serena, come here a sec!” Serena walks over to the two.

“Oh! You received a Pokédex from the professor, then…” The man states, examining the young girl, “How wonderful! This is a wonderful thing, indeed. You are one of the chosen ones. I am Lysandre.”

“Ah- Nice to meet you!” Serena introduces herself happily, trying to hide any suspicion she has against the man. He nods his head.

“I’ve tried to learn as much about Pokémon as I can to help build a brighter future,” Lysandre continues, “Professor Sycamore has taught me so much. Oh! I see you have a Holo Caster!” He looks down at Serena’s wrist.

“Oh, yeah. My mom got this for me when I moved here, I haven’t needed to use it, much, though.” Serena states, lifting her arm to get a closer look at it.

“Knowledge is power, after all. Be sure to put it to good use.” Lysandre says before resuming what he was saying, “Now listen! It is vital that this world become a better place. And the people and Pokémon chosen to make the world better must work tirelessly to achieve this goal.”

“I suppose... “ Serena says, trying to understand what the man is saying as he looks down at Sina.

“Well, I’ll be off. Please give Professor Sycamore my best. My desire… It is for a more beautiful world!” He tells Sina before exiting the building. Serena looks to Sina who simply shrugs.

“Then, I’ll be going too.” Serena tells Sina before leaving the lab herself and re-entering South Boulevard, “The professor said Camphrier Town, right? I guess that’s where we should head next.” Serena begins to walk towards the gate to Route 5 whilst looking over her map when a voice calls out to her.


	3. The Amie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena is stopped by someone calling out to her on South Boulevard; who could it be, and what may the interaction lead to?

Serena looked to where the voice came from and sees Shauna waving at her in the distance. Shauna beckons Serena over to the café she stands in front of.

“Seraaaa! ♪ Let’s go sit and here for a bit!” Shauna calls out to her as Serena approaches her.

“Hi, Shauna~ And sure, we can stay for a bit. I’m getting a bit hungry anyway.” Serena replies as she reaches Shauna. Serena then puts a hand over her stomach to signal this fact.

“Yay! Follow me! ♪” Shauna exclaims as she pulls Serena into the café and sits at a table, “I’ll go get us drinks!” Before Serena could even sit down, Shauna was off on her self-assigned task. It wasn’t long before she returned holding two cups of water, “I didn’t ask what you wanted, so I just brought these for now.” She places the cups on the table.

“Thank you, Shauna.” Serena smiles before taking a sip of water, “Water is perfectly fine, anyways~”

“Oh, good! I didn’t want to ruin our first café experience together…” Shauna sighs before perking up again, “There was something I wanted to ask you! It’s nothing serious it’s just--” Before Shauna could finish, she’s interrupted by two important-looking people entering the café and garnering attention.

“You played a young girl so wonderfully in your debut on the silver screen,” The red-headed man says, Serena instantly recognizing him as Lysandre.

“What is he doing here..? And who is he with..?” Serena mutters questions to herself. Shauna was too busy focusing on the new leading people in the café.

“Wouldn’t you rather remain young and beautiful forever and always play such roles?” Lysandre asks the woman with him. Shauna now turns back to Serena.

“Sera! Do you know who that is?” Shauna says with a flick of her hand to indicate she means the woman.

“No? Am I supposed to..?” Serena replies questioningly.

“That’s Diantha! One of the world’s most famous movie stars!” Shauna excitedly answers. Serena doesn’t seem to recognize her, though.

“What a strange question…” Diantha replies to Lysandre, “Why would I want to play the same old roles forever? Youth may be beautiful, but it’s not all there is to life. Everything changes, I want to live and change like that, too. So I look forward to playing different roles as I get older.” Lysandre’s face twists slightly into one of annoyance and disgust.

“You were chosen to be a movie star, correct? Isn’t it your duty to be ever beautiful?” Lysandre asks in an almost harsh tone, “Everything beautiful should stay that way forever. I would end this world in an instant so that beauty never fades. I can’t stand the thought of the world becoming uglier.” The strange man now looks around the café before noticing Serena and Shauna, “Oh. Hello, Serena.” Serena is startled by the sudden greeting.

“Oh! Uh… Hi, Lysandre!” Serena responds on a whim. Lysandre explains who Diantha is to Serena as Shauna had just finished doing.

“Oh! If only everyone were like her-- what a beautiful world this would be!” He exclaims after he introduces Diantha, “If you’ll excuse me.” Lysandre walks past the confused crowd of customers and out of the café, allowing Diantha to approach the young women.

“And who are you two?” She asks.

“I’m Shauna! ♪” Shauna proudly declares before pointing to Serena, “And this is Serena!” Diantha smiles at Shauna’s energetic response.

“You both have lovely names,” She tells the trainers, “Oh, and you’re both trainers! Don’t your Pokémon look happy? I’m a trainer, in my off time. I look forward to us battling someday!” She then departs and the crowd quickly goes back to enjoying their time at the café.

“Oh! Shoot!” Shauna suddenly cries from across the table.

“I-is something wrong?” Serena asks, hoping that Shauna wasn’t upset.

“I forgot what I was going to ask…” Shauna thinks for a few moments before slamming her palms on the table, “Oh! I remember what it was! ♪” Shauna’s actions causing people to stare.

“Oh, good! Maybe we should take this outside, though.” Shauna nods her head in the direction of the staring patrons, “You’re causing a bit of a commotion…”

“Ah… Sorry… Let’s go, then! I can ask you on the way to Route 5!” Shauna hops of her seat and skips outside, with Serena right behind her. Once outside, Shauna finally asks her question, “Hey Serena?”

“What is it?” Serena looks over to the smaller girl, “Is something wrong?”

“No! I was just wondering… Do you believe in ghosts? Not like the Pokémon type of ghosts-- But, like, ghosts of humans!” Shauna asks, genuinely curious about the topic.

“Hm… I’m not sure… But I would like to believe that they do exist, though, I can’t imagine how lonely that life-- Or afterlife-- would be,” Serena answers, thinking of how it would feel as she does, “If I were to meet a ghost, I think it would be fun to give them an afterlife where they aren’t alone,” Serena looks down at her shoes as she answers before looking back at Shauna, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, I heard some people talking about the spirit of a girl who supposedly haunts Lumiose City. They say she floats past you and says something scary and with no context,” Shauna recalls what she had heard, “I don’t think I would be able to handle that situation! ♪” She then giggles at her comment.

“I see… Rumors and legends like that come up all the time, though I can’t say I’ve ever heard of one being real,” Serena shrugs, “Maybe one day we’ll know the truth about it~”

“Maybe you’re right! Well, I’m gonna go stop by the Pokémon Center so I’ll see you later! ♪” Shauna states before rushing off down the boulevard. Serena watches for a moment before she notices a sign with scissors hanging above a door.

“A barbershop?” Serena asks herself as she plays with her hair, “Well… Maybe I could get a new hairstyle…” Serena nods to herself and enters the shop, being instantly greeted by the barber. Serena decides to dye her hair black and cut some bangs out of the side-swept hair she had before.

Then, it was off to Versant Road. Serena quickly found the gate to Route 5 and walked through. When she entered the route, though, she was greeted by the sound of someone shouting up ahead.

“Wait! Lucario!!!” The voice is immediately followed by a tall, bipedal, blue, black, and yellow jackal covered in spikes running up to and around Serena. Following the Pokémon was a girl wearing a white dress, rollerskates, and helmet skating up to the Lucario, “Sorry about that! Are you OK?” The girl asks Serena, who was watching the Lucario run around her.

“Oh! Yes, I’m fine, thank you!” Serena replies quickly as she checks over herself.

“Oh good! I was just doing some special training with my Lucario when all of a sudden it dashed off…” The girl turns to look at the Pokémon, “Hey, Lucario! What’s going on with you? Did you get drawn in by this girl’s aura or something?” The Lucario turns around and nods before turning back to Serena, “Huh, well, it seems that Lucario likes you!”

“You think so?” Serena asks as she pats the Pokémon’s head, “I wonder why.”

“See, Lucario can read people’s auras. I guess something in your aura has made this one take a liking to a stranger! This Lucario is always getting worked up in battle with my other one,” the blonde rollerskater explains, “Maybe it’s just been waiting for a Trainer to appear who’s strong enough to challenge it… Oops, sorry! I was on such a roll, I forgot to even introduce myself! I’m Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader.”

“I’m Serena, a Trainer from Vanivillie Town! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Serena introduces herself as well, doing a slight bow in the process.

“A Trainer, huh? Well, if you’re collecting Gym Badges, I’m sure we’ll be battling sooner or later!” Korrina responds.

“Yes, I am collecting the Kalos badges!” Serena confirms Korrina’s conclusion.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. I hope you know how to roll with the punches!” Korrina tells Serena with a slight nod before waving and speeding off, soon followed by her Lucario. Serena waves as well before heading down the route and into some grass.

“Oh! I should see what kind of Pokémon are around here,” Serena tells herself before calling out the red-winged Vivillon named Papi, “Papi, let’s find some new partners!” Papi comes out of its ball and flies around Serena for a moment before flying above the grass patch. After a few minutes of searching, Papi flies back to Serena and appears to be leading Serena into the grass.

“Did you find something, Papi?” Serena asks before spotting a small, plant-covered goat laying in the setting sun’s light, “Eh? What could that be?” Serena pulls out her Pokédex and scans the Pokémon as it stands up, stretches, and begins eating. The Pokédex classifies the goat as Skiddo, the Mount Pokémon.

“Papi, let’s hit it with an Infestation!” Serena commands her Pokémon who scatters its scales that fly to and stick to the wild Skiddo who immediately counters by tackling Papi before the scales stuck to its pelt move and cause damage. The Skiddo wasn’t done yet, though, and Serena watches as the wild Pokémon’s body grows, “Be careful, Papi! Its attacks got stronger! Use Psybeam!” Papi flies up and puts her antennae together to create a multi-colored beam it fires at Skiddo. With the help of the Infestation, Skiddo becomes weak enough to catch.

“We’ve got this!” Serena declares as she takes out a Great Ball she had bought at the Pokémon Center and chucks it at the Pokémon. It wiggles twice before breaking out and ducking its head down before charging at Papi, “Be careful! Dodge it!” Papi flies up just in time to dodge the oncoming attack. The Skiddo slides past Papi before Serena throws another Great Ball, this time the ball shakes three times before clicking, “Got it!” Serena runs up and collects the ball, “I’m going to name you…. Honeysuckle!” Serena tells the ball before recalling Papi and continuing down Route 5.

Serena keeps on her path, only being interrupted once by Tierno and Trevor who show tell her about horde encounters before she reaches a small historical town with an old castle on the northern side of the town. After a quick stop by the Pokémon Center, Serena decides to head to the castle. Upon entering, Shauna appears to be talking to the castle owner when she hears Serena entering and turns around.

“Hi, Sera!” She calls out happily before turning back to the owner. Serena walks up beside her.

“An acquaintance of yours? Two visitors to the Shabboneau Castle?” The man asks in a surprised tone, “I can’t remember the last time we’ve been so busy!” Serena looks around the ancient structure as the man describes its origins, “This castle, chateau if you will, was a manor house of a noble family. It may be a little run down, but that’s because there’s history to the place.” Serena smirks before nudging Shauna.

“This looks like the type of place you’d see a creepy ghost woman, doesn’t it?” Serena whispers to her, evoking a snicker out of her.

“During that history, the owners of this palace gave away a lot of their stuff to everyone, so that’s why it feels empty. The end,” the man finishes abruptly, surprising Shauna.

“That’s it?!” She exclaims, “Don’t you have anything related to Mega Evolution?” Shauna asks the man.

“That’s it. What in the world is Mega Evolution?” The man asks, confused about the change in topic. Shauna is about to say something else when another man walks into the castle.

“Sir! It’s back again,” the second man states without context.

“Is it that time of year already? Well, there’s nothing I can do about that now…” The owner replies before walking past his visitors, “I need to go to Route 7, but please take your time and have a look around.” He then leaves with the newcomer.

“I wonder what that’s about,” Shauna says questioningly.

“Well… Why don’t we go to Route 7, too, then?” Serena proposes.

“Sounds like a plan! ♪” Shauna accepts energetically, “Let’s go!” Shauna then runs out of the castle and makes a right, followed closely by Serena. The pair reach a bridge where the two men from before stand, atop the bridge, is a large blue and white bear sound asleep and blocking the path, “Sera! What is it?” Shauna asks, looking at the Pokémon.

“Here we go again. It’s sleeping so soundly, the end of the world wouldn’t wake it up.” The owner says in annoyance.

“Look! It’s practically a mountain, right? It’s blocking the road completely!” The second man says, “Come now, sir. Use the Poké Flute! Oh, wait… Do you even have it anymore?” The question annoys the owner even more.

“Nope. I handed it over,” the owner replies dryly.

“Or you could say it was taken… By the owner of the palace,” the second man replies before Shauna speaks up.

“What? Huh? What’s a Poké Flute?” She asks curiously, Serena’s face saying she’s just as confused. The two men turn around, shocked by the girls standing there.

“Basically, the Poké Flute it’s what we need to wake up Snorlax,” the owner explains, “But the Poké Flute is currently at the Parfum Palace.”

“Oh, that’s it? All we need to do is go get it, then! ♪ C’mon, Sera! Let’s go! ♪ The Parfum Palace is just past Route 6!” Shauna states plainly as she begins to head towards Palais Lane, “And maybe at a place like that, we might learn something about Mega Evolution!”

“Well, it’s not like we have much of a choice… Lead the way, Shauna!” Serena then continues after the eccentric girl and they walk down Route 6. Serena admires the scenery as they walk down the tree-lined path. At the end of the path lies a large building with an equally large gate surrounding the exterior.

“Wow! This place is huge!” Shauna exclaims as they approach the enormous palace.

“I can’t imagine the time it would take to build something to this scale…” Serena responds as they reach the front gate. At the gate, however, stands a man with a key around hanging from his pants. The man stops the girls from entering.

“The entrance fees will be ₽1,000 per person,” the man tells the girls. This royally annoys Shauna.

“You’ve got to be kidding! It costs money to go inside?” Shauna shouts angrily as Serena tries to calm her down.

“You see, the owner of the palace follows the school of thought that you can never have too much money,” the man explains the terrible reasoning.

“Yeesh! This is how the rich get richer! Here’s your entrance fee: ₽1,000!” Shauna huffs in annoyance as Serena pays her fee as well.

“The proceeds from the entrance fee help to pay for repairing and restoring the palace,” the man continues, eliciting an eye roll from Shauna, “Probably…” The man then turns around and unlocks the gate, allowing the two girls to enter the palace. Once the friends enter the palace, they spot a distressed man looking for a Furfrou.

“It disappeared?” Shauna asks in a worried tone as she turns to Serena, “Hey, Sera! We should go help look! I mean, if my… If my Pokémon was missing, I’d be sick with worry!”

“Yeah, I understand…. Alright! Let’s go look for this Furfrou!” Serena replies, lifting Shauna’s attitude.

“I think there’s a huge garden behind this palace, we should look there!” Shauna declares as she runs off to the backside of the palace. Serena takes a look at all the expensive-looking statues and paintings covering the halls before exiting the door that leads to a hedge-filled garden. The garden has multiple statures, two of which being dragons told to be from a region called Unova.

“Interesting… Unova and Kalos must have been working together at some point,” Serena says to herself in response to the plaques on the statues, “I’ve heard little about Unova, but it seems like a nice region to live in.” Serena then heads through the Pokémon-shaped hedges before reaching Shauna, who is running around the hedges chasing a white poodle Pokémon.

“Please! Don’t run away!” Shauna calls out to the Pokémon, but it’s no use, the Pokémon once again runs into the bushes. Shauna then turns to Serena, “Sera! Give me a hand!” Serena nods.

“Alright~ It should be easier with both of us chasing it!” Serena replies. Shauna then turns around and points out a pathway.

“That path over there leads to a dead end! Let’s split up, chase Furfrou, and corner it in there!” Shauna says, laying out the plans for capturing the rampant dog Pokémon, “I’ll keep it from getting away, so pick a spot for me to stand. If the two of us work together, we can solve this puzzle and catch Furfrou!” Serena looks over the layout and decides where Shauna should stand before running up to the Furfrou and chasing it into the dead end.

“Got it! Shauna come here!” Serena calls out as she corners the Pokémon. Shauna runs over to keep it from escaping.

“Phew! Well done! We finally caught it!” Shauna exclaims before turning to Serena, “Sera, you’re amazing! ♪ We caught it because you understand how Pokémon feel!”

“I don’t know about that… It was just a puzzle like you said-- The Furfrou wouldn’t run to you so…” Serena cuts herself off as the man from before approaches them. The man gushes over his Pokémon before turning to the girls.

“Could you be the ones responsible for me wonderfrou reunion with my dear Furfrou?” The man asks the two who seem unimpressed with the man’s pun.

“Yes, sir, that would be us,” Serena tells the man.

“How wonderfrou indeed! It’s marvelous, simply marvelous! A situation like this demands fireworks! We shall put on a show-- boom, boom!” The man says to express his gratitude. Shauna perks up at the offer. 

“Really?! Sera, let’s watch it! ♪” Shauna excitedly says to Serena before grabbing hold of her wrists, “It’ll be so much fun! ♪” The man tells the girls to head to the balcony while he sets up the show. Serena doesn’t get a chance to respond but was happy to be able to watch the show anyway.

“Shauna! Slow down a little! You’re too fast for me!” Serena pleas as she tries to keep up to no avail. Eventually, the pair reach the balcony looking over the vast garden of hedges. The girls look up into the now dark sky for a few minutes before Shauna speaks up.

“Um… You know…” Shauna begins, still looking to the sky. Serena looks over to Shauna, “I never watched fireworks alone with a friend before… Or anyone for that matter… We haven’t seen them yet, but I know I’ll never forget these fireworks! ‘Cause I watched them with you, Sera.”

“Shauna--” Serena begins to speak but is cut off by the sound of a whistling firework. Serena instead looks back to the sky where the fireworks begin to shoot off in mass. Shauna didn’t seem to notice Serena beginning to speak as she was focused on the colorful, sparkling lights in the sky. Once the show is over, both of the girls remain speechless for a moment.

“Wow! That. Was. AMAZING!” Shauna exclaims, waving her arms happily, “I never ever want to forget this, so I’ll keep this memory in an album in my heart!” The man returns and asks the girls if anything else is needed from him, “OH!” Shauna cries suddenly, “I almost forgot!”

“The Poké Flute, right?” Serena finishes Shauna’s reply.

“That’s right! We need the Poké Flute to wake up Snorlax.” Shauna continues. The man sighs and tells his butler to grab the flute. The butler soon returns with the flute and hands it to Serena. The girls now return to Route 7 where Snorlax lays sleeping like a log. The owner of the Shabboneau Castle turns to greet the two as the approach.

“Did you actually manage to borrow the Poké Flute?” He asks the pair.

“Yes! It took longer than we thought, but we have it here!” Serena hands the man the Poké Flute. After confirming Serena was ready to take on Snorlax, just in case, he turns back to the sleeping giant.

“Feels nice to have this flute in my hands again. OK, I guess I’ll start playing,” the man says quietly as he holds the flute to his lips and begins to play. The Snorlax wakes up and fights Serena, but her Pokémon defeat it quickly, causing the Pokémon to run into the mountains. After the Pokémon flees, the man from the Parfum Palace returns and gives Serena the flute after hearing the music. Then, everyone disperses back to their homes. Serena and Shauna, however, decide to take a rest at the Camphrier Town hotel so they would be full of energy for what the next day may bring.


	4. The Criminels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending time with Shauna, Serena decides to take a rest in Camphrier Town before continuing down Route 7. However, something, or someone, awaits her on the course towards the second gym.

The next morning, Serena wakes up to find that Shauna had already left. With this discovery, Serena silently gets dressed, grabs her bag, and exits the hotel. Now, with the sun rising above the mountains past Route 7, Serena continues her journey towards Cyllage City.

The water along Riviere Walk reflects a soft, orange glow from the sunrise. On the way down Route 7, Serena notices a Pokémon Daycare and a building called the Battle Chateau along the riverbank and numerous artists drawing the beautiful scenery. Soon, Serena reaches an incline in the road where she spots Calem, Tierno, and Trevor talking amongst themselves.

“Oh! Hey everyone!” Serena calls out as she speeds up her walking to reach them quicker, they all turn to her and wave.

“Perfect timing, neighbor,” Calem says as Serena arrives before turning to the others, “Let’s battle. Tierno and Trevor, you’ll battle against Sera and me.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Serena responds as she pulls out a Poké Ball.

“I thought these would be good teams as you and I are neighbors,” Calem tells Serena as he pulls out a Poké Ball of his own. Tierno and Trevor follow suit, throwing their Poké Balls up first, sending out a Pikachu and Fennekin. Serena and Calem now call their Pokémon out, Fletching and Ruru appear from their Poké Balls.

“We’ll start first. Fletching hit them with a Quick Attack on Fennekin,” Calem says to his Pokémon, who takes in energy before flying towards the opposing Fox Pokémon at breakneck speed, landing a hit and pushing the Fennekin back.

“Let’s do this, Ruru! Use Fake Out on Pikachu!” Serena commands her Pokémon, who runs up to the Mouse Pokémon and slaps it weakly, causing the Pikachu to flinch.

“Show them out moves, Fennekin! Flame Charge on Espurr!” Tierno calls out to his Pokémon, who coats itself in a fire before running at Ruru.

“Not so fast, Ruru dodge it and use Psybeam!” Serena orders her Pokémon, who jumps over the small fox and fires a multi-colored beam at the attacker, sending it flying.

“Alright, Pikachu… Now that you’ve recovered, use Thunder Shock on Fletchling!” Trevor tells his Pokémon, who gets on all fours with electricity coming out of its cheek pouches before directing lightning towards the Tiny Robin Pokémon, Fletching is hit and becomes unable to move. Calem sighs and recalls Fletchling before sending out his starter, a frog Pokémon similar to his starter.

“Let’s go, Frogadier, use Bubble on Pikachu!” Calem says as he calls out Frogadier, who immediately fires multiple bubbles at the opponent’s Pikachu. On the other side of the field, Ruru and Fennekin continue their battle.

“It’s weak, Ruru! Finish it off with Covet!” Serena declares before Ruru walks up to the Fennekin and swipes at it, pushing it to the ground and causing it to faint, “Good job! Let’s help with Pikachu, now!” Ruru nods as she runs back to the other fight.

“You’re outnumbered, Pikachu, use Thunder Shock again, this time on Frogadier…” Trevor says sheepishly, noticing the odds are stacked against him. Pikachu repeats the attack before but Frogadier jumps out of the way.

“Ruru use Confusion!” Serena commands as Ruru reaches the others and raises her ears and letting out an energy wave that surrounds Pikachu and making it lose sight of its surroundings.

“Perfect, Frogadier use Quick Attack,” Calem orders as Frogadier takes in energy as well and targets the confused Pikachu, knocking it backward and causing it to faint.

“You did well, Pikachu, but we’re not done yet..! Flabébé, come on out..!” Trevor recalls Pikachu and calls out an orange-flower Flabébé, similar to Citrus, “Use Vine Whip on Frogadier…” The Flabébé causes vines to grow from its flower that head for the Bubble Frog Pokémon.

“Use Quick Attack to dodge it,” Calem tells his Pokémon, who takes in energy and dashes around the vines before coming in contact with Flabébé.

“This will be easy, Ruru! Use Confusion!” Serena raises a hand to imitate her Espurr’s pose as it ears raise and release a wave of energy that surrounds Flabébé, “Now hit it with a Covet!” Ruru runs up to the opposing Pokémon and swipes at it, causing it to fall to the ground. Trevor sighs and recalls his Pokémon.

“Woah… Now THAT was a nice move!” Tierno says as Flabébé returns to its Pokéball.

“So you can’t just learn everything from a Pokédex… I see!” Trevor continues as the battle finishes and Ruru and Frogadier are returned to their balls.

“Everyone sure has a different approach to being a Trainer,” Calem says, seemingly in an attempt to cheer his opponents up, “Well, that was fun but I suppose we should head to Ambrette Town.” The others go to heal their Pokémon as Serena continues past the route and enters Connecting Cave.

The dark, damp cave is nothing to be scared of to Serena as she passes through, fending off a swarm of Zubats living in the roost. Instead, Serena takes a liking to the atmosphere and sticks around for a while to train. Eventually, however, she makes it through the cave and steps out into Route 8 before she is called out to from up ahead.

“Stop right there!” A female voice says before it’s revealed to be Sina and Dexio, who walk up to Serena and upgrade her Pokédex before leaving. With that quick exchange, Serena continues through the cliff-covered Muraille Coast before she is once again stopped at the edge of Ambrette Town.

“Hey, neighbor!” Calem calls out as he runs up to Serena.

“You know you could at least call me Serena, right..?” Serena says, slightly disheartened by Calem’s name for her.

“Ah, right, sorry. Anyways, this is Ambrette Town,” Calem says, almost entirely skipping what Serena had said, “You just go through the aquarium to get to Cyllage City. But first, we should go to the Fossil Lab and have them tell us about Fossils.”

“Fossils..? I mean, sure, but why do you want to go there?” Serena asks, still a bit dispirited.

“Maybe we’ll learn something about those mysterious stones related to Mega Evolution,” Calem replies. Serena doesn’t understand the connection, though.

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” Serena says as she and Calem head towards the Lab. Before they could reach the Lab, however, a lady stops them and gives them a TM for Rock Smash, which Serena teaches to Honeysuckle. Then, the pair find and enter the small, gray building housing the Fossil Lab and head to the backside of the Lab where they encounter a couple of scientists. One of the scientists walks up to the Trainers.

“Welcome, future archeologists!” He exclaims, “You were drawn here by the mystique of the Fossils no doubt!” Calem sighs.

“I’m Calem, and this is Sera,” he tells the man, “We’re researching Mega Evolution. Do you know anything about it?”

“Oho! So you’re Professor Sycamore’s students! I’ve heard about you!” The man tells the two.

“Really..?” Serena tilts her head at the unexpected fame.

“Yes indeed!” The man says before thinking for a moment, “Mega Evolution, you say… I’m sorry, but all I know is that it has something to do with mysterious stones…” The man explains what the Trainers already know, “Still, since you’re students of the professor, you must know about Pokémon Fossils, correct?”

“I’ve only heard about them from my friends back in my old hometown... “ Serena replies.

“That’s wonderful! I expect no less from Professor Sycamore’s students!” The man exclaims, mostly ignoring what Serena had said, “That’s right! Fossils are the legacy of prehistoric Pokémon! You should really go to the dig site and see the real thing firsthand.” Calem responds by shaking his head.

“Is that so? Well, if you don’t know anything about Mega Evolution…” Calem begins his rejection of the offer before being cut off by the female scientist.

“Hold on! Pokémon that can be restored from fossils just might have something to do with Mega Evolution. The assistant in Glittering Cave right now might know about that!” She tells the duo, evoking another sigh from Calem as he turns to Serena.

“Well… As long as I’m here, I guess I’ll go see that assistant. Heading to Glittering Cave, Sera?” He asks his neighbor.

“Might as well! I’m interested in learning about Fossils, so I’m gonna go see what I can find!” She replies with much more excitement than before.

“Fair enough, then. I’m going to look around for a bit then I’ll catch up with you,” he responds before Serena leaves the lab and heads to Spikes Passage, where a Pokémon she recognizes resides.

“Oh! It’s a Rhyhorn!” She exclaims upon seeing the Pokémon her mother was well-known for racing, “That’s right, that guy in the gate said I would need to ride Rhyhorn to get across these rocks,” she states as she examines the rocks, “Alright! Just like mom had shown me, let’s go Rhyhorn!” She tells the Pokémon who allows her on its back and carries her across the rocky terrain of Route 9.

Soon, with the help of Serena’s prior experience, she and the Rhyhorn reach the entrance to the Glittering Cave. Serena pats the Rhyhorn before entering the cave full of twisting paths and dark spots impossible to see into where Pokémon like to hide. The path, despite its twist and turns, was quite easy to navigate with the number of dead ends, and Serena ends up in a large, open room in the cave. In the open cavern stands a man wearing all red who turns upon hearing Serena’s footsteps.

“What’s this?” The man asks before approaching Serena, “Well, well. What do we have here? A nosy little trainer has come poking around.”

“And who the heck are you..? Your outfits completely stand out in here.” Serena says as her hand reaches for a Poké Ball.

“Listen up! We’re the fashionable team whose very name makes people tremble in fear: Team Flare!” The man responds, garnering a suspicious look from Serena.

“Team Flare? What a boring name! Couldn’t you go for something more creative like… Plasma?” Serena says, taunting the so-called fashionable man, “What are you guys doing here?”

“Tch… Team Flare’s goal is to make it so we’re the only ones who are happy! We don’t care about what happens to other Trainers or Pokémon.” The man continues, clearly getting ready for a battle.

“What a pathetic plan... I don’t like it,” Serena replies with a glare. The man now gets angry with Serena.

“Get out of here, kid. Don’t you know not to play with fire?” The man says in a threatening tone.

“Well, actually… Fire can be fun to play with if it’s done correctly. Let’s go, Ruru!” Serena calls her Pokémon out of its ball. As soon as Ruru touches the ground, she’s fired up for battle.

“Getting my fancy suit isn’t the stylish way to do things, but if you insist…” The man pulls out a Poké Ball of his own, “I’ll obliterate you! Get her, Houndour!” The grunt now throws his own Pokémon out, a small, black hound with bone-like extrusions over its head and body, “Use Bite!” The Dark Pokémon bares its fangs and runs towards Ruru.

“Ruru, use Fake Out now!” Serena calls out to Ruru, who waits for the Houndour to get close enough before making the appearance going for a hard hit, causing the Houndour to flinch, “Perfect, use Covet!” Ruru takes advantage of the situation and swipes at the Houndour, sending it back to its trainer.

“Deplorable child! Houndour, Ember!” The grunt says in annoyance. The dog now creates a fireball in its mouth that it spits towards Ruru.

“Ruru use Confusion!” Serena commands. Ruru raises its ears and fires a wave of energy that knocks the Ember off course, the wave passes right over the Houndour, however, “A Dark-type Pokémon, of course… Ruru, go for another Covet!” Ruru runs up to the opposing Houndour who braces for an attack, Ruru swipes at the Houndour who stays in place and growls at Ruru.

“Now Houndour, use Bite!” The man exclaims. The now close Houndour quickly bites onto Ruru and shakes her like a dog toy before throwing Ruru to the side.

“Ruru!” Serena sighs, “Ruru, return! Let’s show them, Papi!” Serena recalls Ruru before calling out the red-winged Vivillon, “Papi use Stun Spore!” Papi flies above the Houndour, dispersing small scales over its body, locking its movements, “Now use Struggle Bug!” Papi now scatters a multitude of larger scales that lock onto Houndour and fly at it quickly, after the pelting is finished, Houndour falls to the ground. Papi then returns to Serena, who recalls the Scale Pokémon.

“Don’t think I’ve had enough just yet! Let’s get this brat, Zubat!” The red-suited man now sends out a purple bat Pokémon that had been plentiful in the cave before.

“Hm… It’s a bad matchup all around…” Serena contemplates her next Pokémon, “Alright, it’s your turn, Honeysuckle!” Serena throws up a Poké Ball and the green Mount Pokémon lands on the floor, “Use Growth!” The Skiddo’s body grows upon using the move, raising its offensive stats.

“Hehe, looks like you should’ve gone for the ocean, I’ll burn your team to a crisp before you go any further! Zubat use Wing Attack!” The man calls out with a taint. The Bat Pokémon dives towards Skiddo with its wings outstretched.

“Honeysuckle use Vine Whip!” Serena directs her Pokémon, whose vines grow from the pelt around its neck and grabs hold of the opponents Zubat, “Now! Throw it with all you’ve got!” Honeysuckle swings the Zubat around before slamming it into the ground at full force, “Finish it off with Tackle!” Serena’s Skiddo now backs up, puts her head down, and charges at the wounded Zubat who gets launched by the attack into the grunt who falls to the ground The grunt reluctantly recalls his Zubat.

“You may have beaten me, but when I lose, I go out in style!” The man shouts.

“Yeah, whatever, Honeysuckle return!” Serena recalls her Pokémon before waltzing past the defeated grunt. Suddenly, Calem runs up behind her as two more grunts approach Serena. Calem swiftly heals Serena’s team before the grunts reach them.

“What’s going on here, Sera?” Calem asks, eyeing the suspicious, suited members of Team Flare. Before Serena could explain, the male grunt speaks up.

“We’re Team Flare! We put the fashion into fear!” The first grunt says.

“We were looking for Fossils but we discovered a couple of kids!” The female grunt continues. Calem looks to Serena.

“Are you ready to battle alongside me, neighbor?” He asks his friend.

“Let’s get rid of these freakshows…” Serena replies as she turns to the grunts.

“If you’re just trying to make yourselves happy, I won’t stop you...” Calem tells the grunts, “But when you threaten people, it’s like who do you think you are, anyway? Let’s go, Espurr!” Calem throws out a new Pokémon that resembles Ruru with more ruffled fur.

“Alright, Citrus, come on out!” Serena calls out her Flabébé, who immediately prepares for an attack.”

“Get rid of these impudent children, Scraggy!” The male grunt says as a yellow, humanoid Pokémon appears from its Poké Ball. The Pokémon gives the appears of holding pants up.

“How dare you call us such names, girl! Thrash them, Croagunk!” The female grunt says as a purple, black, and white bipedal toad Pokémon appears in front of her.

“Espurr use Light Screen!” Calem orders his Pokémon, who creates a barrier in front of their team, reflecting special attacks.

“Citrus, use Fairy Wind on Scraggy!” Serena commands. Citrus flips the flower head towards the Scraggy and creates a gust of wind that blows it off its feet.

“Espurr use Covet!” Calem tells his Pokémon, who approaches the fallen Scraggy and takes a swipe at it, causing it to slide along the ground and faint quickly, “Easy. Let’s get the Croagunk, now.”

“Not so fast! Croagunk use Headbutt on that Espurr!” The female grunt shouts as the male grunt recalls his Scraggy. The Toxic Mouth Pokémon dashes towards Calem’s Espurr and headbutts it into the ground before looking to Citrus, “Good! Now use Poison Sting on Flabébé!” The Pokémon’s hands turn purple and it throws a punch at Citrus, who blocks the attack multiple times with her flower before starting to glow.

“Citrus..? You’re evolving!” Serena exclaims as the nymph grows large enough to hold its flower and does a twirl as the glow disappears. Flabébé has evolved into Floette! “Citrus grab hold of the Croagunk with Vine Whip!” The Fairy Pokémon sprouts vines from its flower that wrap around the opposing Pokémon.

“Foolish child, Croagunk resists Grass-type moves!” The female grunt says with an amused tone.

“But you know what it doesn’t resist? Hit it with a Psybeam, Espurr!” Calem calls out as the Espurr regains its footing and lifts its ears. The Espurr fires a multi-colored ray at the trapped Croagunk who is hit directly. The Pokémon faints quickly and it recalled along with Espurr and Citrus.

“Oh man! My favorite, fashionable Team Flare suit is filthy!” The male grunt cries before both retreat from the cave along with the rest of the grunts.

“C’mon, Sera. Let’s go find that assistant,” Calem says to his friend as they reach the end of the room, where a man in a lab coat stands. The man turns around when the Trainers reach him.

“Why, hello! Here to look for Fossils, as well?” The man asks upon seeing the pair.

“Was Team Flare back here?” Calem asks matter-of-factly. The man gives him a confused look.

“Teemphlair? What’s that? A Pokémon?” The assistant asks the two, signifying he was safe.

“Never mind…” Calem replies before turning to Serena, “Guess he was so absorbed with looking for Fossils, he didn’t notice.”

“You two are very lucky! I just now found two Fossils!” The man tells the Trainers, “But they’re both ones I already have, so I’ll give one to each of you!” The man then holds up two fossils, one resembling the jaw of a fearsome carnivore and the other resembling a sail of some sort. Serena takes the Jaw Fossil and Calem takes the Sail Fossil before the man returns to the lab. Serena and Calem begin to head back as well until Serena something catches Serena’s eye.

“Huh? Hey, Calem! You go on ahead, I’m gonna look around for a bit!” Serena calls out, receiving a nod in response as Calem walks off, “Alright, Honeysuckle! Help me break this rock!” Serena sends out her Skiddo, who uses Rock Smash on the boulder. Once the dust settles, a strange amber of some sort can be seen lying on the ground. Serena picks it up and heads back to the Fossil Lab.

Serena reaches the lab and speaks with the scientist at the counter. She hands him the Old Amber which he takes an instant liking to, the man says he’ll revive it in an instant. Just as the man had said, he comes out with a Poké Ball that he hands to Serena. 

“That Old Amber you gave me turned into an Aerodactyl!” The main exclaims as he shows the girl a picture, “An ancient, Flying-type Pokémon!”

“Oh, cool!” Serena exclaims as she examines the picture, “I think I’ll name him… Reign!” Shauna nods in response to her name, and begins to leave; however, the scientist stops her and hands her a mysterious stone he believes may help in her quest to understand Mega Evolution. He calls the stone the Aerodactylite so, naturally, Serena gives it to her new Pokémon. Serena then heads to the beach section of Route 8 and quickly reaches Cyllage City, where her next gym battle awaits.


	5. The Réflexion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After her encounter with Team Flare, Serena makes her way to the cliff-side Cyllage City to take on her next Gym Leader. How will she fare against the Kalos's master of rocks?

Upon reaching Cyllage City, Serena takes a look at the differences between the east and west side of the coastal town. To the east, a beachfront with multiple islands and a shallow bay allowing easy travel along the small archipelago. To the west is a large mountain covered in cliff faces with a biking path leading to a cave entrance at the top. Serena wanders through the city and spots a boutique, where she buys a new outfit.

This time, Serena now sports a green, short parka with a blue shirt underneath, blue, ripped jeans, purple high-tops, and yellow sunglasses on her hat. After she stops by the boutique, she heads to the Bike Shop, where she collects a bike by answering a trivia question correctly. With the new items in her collection, she heads up the bike path towards the gym. When she arrives, a man walks up to her via a dirt path towards the gym and he sees Serena on her bike.

“Oh, dear… If you’re here for the Bicycle race, I’m afraid you’re too late,” The man tells Serena, “The race is over, and I took first place. I feel bad that you missed it. Here-- Allow me to give you this Strength Hm in consolation. If one of your Pokémon uses the move, it will be able to push large rocks around.” The man then hands her a disc similar to that of a TM. Serena accepts it before giving the man a strange look.

“Bicycle race..? What? No, I’m here to face the Cyllage City Gym!” Serena responds to the man who wears his hair up with a rainbow of crystal-shaped accessories, a black shirt, gray legging, and mountain climbing equipment hangs around his body.

“Ah, I see! Apologies for the misunderstanding. That works perfectly, then. If you want to use the move outside of battle, you’ll first need the badge from my gym,” the man explains, “On that note, I’ll be waiting for you in the gym. Come challenge me at your leisure.” He then walks down the path and into his gym, which is built into a cliff.

Serena watches him walk off before putting her bike away and enters the gym, as well. As she enters the gym, she finds a large, expansive cave with a mountain-like structure in the center covered with rock climbing walls and surrounded by a stream of water originating from a waterfall at the backside of the gym. Serena looks up-and-down at the gym puzzle before starting to scale the mountain. After some quick battles with gym trainers, Serena reaches the top, where the gym leader waits.

“I’ve been waiting in eager anticipation!” The Gym Leader begins, “What have I been waiting for? For a worthy challenger to appear! It’s quite an achievement to have climbed all the way up here. Very impressive, actually!”

“I can’t imagine climbing up those things every day… Thankfully I just bought clothes more appropriate for this gym,” Serena sighs as she dusts off her hands.

“Aha! I have a feeling that our battle will turn out to be worth the effort!” The Gym Leader replies, “I hope you’ll show me that your skill as a Trainer surpasses even mine. I’m Grant of the Cyllage City Gym, and today I’ll be your opponent!” Grant then reaches for a Poké Ball from his bag and calls out a long-necked dinosaur Pokémon. The Pokémon is light blue and has two colorful, wavy sails above its eyes with crystals on its body, “Let’s go, Amaura!”

“A Fossil Pokémon? Alright... Let’s go, Reign!” Serena calls out as her Fossil Pokémon emerges from his Pokéball, “Use Ancient Power!” The Fossil Pokémon flies up above the battlefield and pulls boulders from the surrounding area and throws them at the Amaura.

“Amaura, use Aurora Beam!” Grant calls out to his Pokémon, who fires a rainbow-colored beam of cold air and light at the oncoming rocks, freezing them together and causing them to crash to the ground, “Wonderful, now use Rock Tomb!” The Amaura now uses the same boulders to throw at the opposing Aerodactyl.

“Careful, Reign, use Agility!” Serena tells her Pokémon, who quickly speeds up and flies around the stones, “Now use Bite!” Reign swoops in towards the opponent’s Amaura and bites down on its neck.

“Now’s your chance, Amaura, use Take Down!” Grant commands as his Pokémon begins running around the landed Aerodactyl as it holds onto its neck. Little by little, icicles appear around Reign’s jaw who releases the Tundra Pokémon. The Amaura takes the opportunity to turn to Reign and ram into him at full force, freezing the opposing Aerodactyl.

“Wh-What? Take Down froze him?” Serena asks in shock.

“Amaura has the ability Refrigerate, which makes all of its Normal-type moves into Ice-type moves!” Grant answers, “Finish it off with a Rock Tomb!” The boulders stuck into the battlefield float up and straight at the frozen Aerodactyl, shattering the ice and revealing a fainted Reign.

“I see… What a scary ability… Reign, return!” Serena mutters before returning Reign to his ball, “In that case, go Ruru!” Serena then throws a Poké Ball into the air and Ruru comes out of it.

“Keep it up, Amaura! Use Aurora Beam!” Grant calls out to his Pokémon, who begins to fire another blast at Ruru.

“Quickly! Ruru use Fake Out!” Serena directs. Ruru quickly runs up to Amaura and makes the appearance of giving it a hard hit, only to hit it softly, doing minimal damage but causing the opponent to flinch, “Now use Psybeam!” Ruru raises her ears and shoots a multi-colored ray from them, hitting the Amaura head-on and sending it back.

“You’re still in this, Amaura! Use Take Down!” Grant tells his Pokémon, who lets off a mist before chasing down Ruru, knocking her back with a cold bash. Ruru, however, stands up and faces the Amaura again.

“Alright, Ruru! Use Psybeam one more time!” Serena commands the Restraint Pokémon, who raises her ears once again, and fires a beam. However, the beam suddenly breaks into multiple chunks as Ruru begins to glow, “Ruru?” Serena looks down at her Pokémon, who grows taller with larger ears, sprouts a second tail as both elongate and curl, and a scarf-shaped tuft of fur grows from her neck. The glow dissipates to reveal Ruru had evolved into a primarily white Meowstic with blue markings. Ruru’s eyes turn all red as the chunks Psybeam crash into Amaura, “Ruru, you evolved into Meowstic and learned Psyshock! Keep it up!” Once the Psyshock finishes pelting Amaura, the Pokémon falls to the ground.

“Bravo! I’ve never seen such a colorful Psyshock before! But we’re not done yet. Let’s get them, Tyrunt!” Grant recalls Aumara and throws out another Fossil Pokémon, this time a red dinosaur with yellow and white spikes and tiny arms and an enormous jaw, “Use Bite!” The Tyrunt runs quickly towards the newly evolved Ruru with its teeth bared and bites down on her before throwing her across the field. Ruru stands up and shakes it off.

“Alright Ruru, use Disarming Voice!” Ruru’s eyes turn red as she lets out a charming cry which confuses the Tyrunt momentarily. The Royal Heir Pokémon seems rather unimpressed, however.

“Retaliate with a Stomp!” Grant commands his Pokémon, who once again rushes to Ruru and jumps onto her with a thud and kicks up dust. Once the dust settles, Ruru is seen fainted.

“You had a good run, Ruru… We’ll still win this, though! Go, Honeysuckle!” Serena calls out her Skiddo, “Use Razor Leaf!” Honeysuckle stomps with her two front hooves, causing leaves to fly from her grassy pelt and into the opposing Tyrunt. Once again, Tyrunt seems unfazed.

“Keep up the attack, Tyrunt! Use Rock Tomb!” Grant orders his Pokémon who reuses the stones from before to hurl at the opposing Skiddo, using its jaw to do so.

“Honeysuckle dodge it!” Serena calls out. Her Pokémon runs through the scattered stones and towards the Tyrunt as it picks up another boulder. Honeysuckle then raises her front hooves and slams the battlefield, causing it to shake violently and knock Tyrunt off its feet. As Tyrunt falls, the boulder it was about to throw gets thrown straight into the air and lands on the Royal Heir Pokémon, trapping it to the ground. Honeysuckle had used Bulldoze, “Nice job, Honeysuckle! Finish it with Razor Leaf!” As Tyrunt squirms to get out, it is pelted with dozens of razor-sharp leaves that break the rock and send Tyrunt across the battlefield where it lies fainted.

“Congratulations, Trainer! You have proven to be a wall that I am unable to surmount!” Grant congratulates Serena as he recalls Tyrunt.

“You did it, Honeysuckle!” Serena tells her Pokémon excitedly as she pats the small goat’s head before returning her to her Poké Ball.

“There are some things that seem out of reach no matter how hard you try. However, it’s important that you never give up-- no matter the opponent or the odds,” Grant tells the energetic Trainer, “I could tell from our battle that you and your Pokémon understand that. To commemorate such an impressive show of teamwork, please accept the Cliff Badge!” Grant then hands Serena a multi-layered badge that resembles a small, blocky mountain range. He then hands her the TM for Rock Tomb before seeing her off.

With the Cliff badge in her possession, Serena sets her sights to Shalour City and heads to Route 10 after a stop at the Pokémon Center. Serena looks around in the flowers at the beginning of Route 10 to find any potential teammates when she runs into a Pokémon she’s seen before. A small, black and white hound called Houndour.

“Hey… Those Team Freak people had one of these, right?” Serena asks herself as she approaches the Pokémon. Serena grabs hold of a Poké Ball and releases Papi into the flowers, “Alright, Papi, you know the drill! Use Stun Spore!” Papi nods and shoots tiny scales out towards the Houndour, restricting its movements. The Houndour spits a purple smog at Papi, which appears to make Papi sick. Papi returns to Serena as she takes out a black and green Pokéball after using an antidote on Papi, “Alright, let’s try this ball!” Serena throws the ball at the Houndour, it wiggles three times and clicks.

“We got it!” Serena shouts happily as she picks up the Dusk Ball, “Hm… She looks like a Seri.” Serena nods and returns Papi to her ball before continuing up Menhir Trail. Soon the route becomes filled with large, weathered stones, “Woah… I wonder what all of these are…” She is about to begin looking into them when a man in a familiar red suit strides up and notices her.

“Stop right there! I remember you! You’re the one who foiled our Fossil-finding plans!” The man yells at her as he approaches her with a Poké Ball in his hand, “And now you’re here, standing around these stones. Do you have any idea what they even are?”

“Speak of the devil and he will come…” Serena mutters with a glare, “Well if you must know, I was just about to figure that out before I noticed some litter on the route.”

“Tch… You little…” The grunt says before continuing his exposition, “Well, of course you don’t! You know nothing about the legend of 3,000 years ago that says… Wait, what does it say?”

“Are… Are you serious?” Serena asks, dumbfounded.

“Oh, whatever! Who cares about all of that? It’s time for me to get some sweet revenge… with style!” The grunt throws his Poké Ball, causing a Houndour to appear.

“Ugh! You guys are such pains! Go, Reign!” Serena calls out her Aerodactyl, fully refreshed after the gym battle.

“It seems like you’ve got some new Pokémon… No matter, Houndour use Bite!” The grunt commands his Pokémon. The opponent’s Houndour bares its fangs before running towards Reign.

“Reign, Ancient Power!” Serena calls out to Reign. Reign flies up and pulls up stones that float behind him before getting launched at the Houndour, hitting it directly. The Houndour whimpers but jumps back and is ready to fight on.

“Hmph! Use Ember!” The grunt tells his Pokémon, who now creates a fireball in its mouth that her spits towards Reign. Reign simply flies higher.

“Reign, use Wing Attack!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon, who dives straight down towards the opposing Dark Pokémon and hits it with one of his large wings, sending the hound into one of the large stones and fainting it, “Reign come back!” Serena recalls Reign, “That all you’ve got, grunt?”

“Of course it’s not! Show them, Golbat!” The grunt recalls his Houndour as a large, purple bat Pokémon with an equally large mouth comes from another Poké Ball.

“Seriously..? Alright, Ruru! It’s your turn!” Serena calls out the white Constraint Pokémon, who looks to the Golbat in annoyance, “Use Psyshock!” Ruru lifts her ears and her eyes turn red as a psychic wave materializes into chunks and pelts the Golbat.

“We’re not going down that easily, child!” The grunt shouts, “Golbat, use Bite!” The Golbat swoops in towards Ruru.

“Ruru use Disarming Voice!” Serena commands her starter, who makes a crying sound at the oncoming Golbat, stopping it in its tracks, “Now, Covet!” Ruru then jumps up to the Golbat and swipes at the Bat Pokémon, hitting it into the ground and causing it to faint, “Good job, Ruru, return!” Ruru dusts herself as she returns to her ball.

“What the… How could I lose again to a little punk like you? What are you, some kind of Trainer prodigy or something?” The grunt asks, annoyed.

“Easy, the good guy always comes out on top,” Serena replies. The grunt then gets a Holo Cast for a new mission before he runs off. Serena decides to take chase to figure out where he’s going. Serena follows the grunt to Geosenge Town, where he turns down a back road and seemingly disappears into a large boulder.

“What on Earth..? Where did he…” Serena looks around, trying to find the grunt before giving up and turning back. Then, she notices Calem running up beside her.

“Sera, was someone from Team Flare here just now?” Calem asks her.  
“Well, there was, but they disappeared into the dead end,” Serena replies with a sigh.

“Strange… I wonder where that Team Flare guy went…” Calem ponders before shrugging, “Anyways, he’s gone now so all we can do is continue towards Shalour City.” Serena nods in response as Calem walks off.

“Tch… I guess there’s nothing I can do about it anyway,” Serena mutters to herself as she begins to walk towards Route 11, past all of the cabins and a strange arrangement of three stones. However, as she’s about to enter when someone calls out to her from behind. The blonde rollerskater from before rolls up.

“Hey! You’re that Trainer from Route 5!” She exclaims as she comes to a stop, her two Lucario beside her, “So! Do you remember that I’m the Gym Leader in Shalour City? Once you get past the cave just beyond here, you’ll be there, so stop by and say hello!” She then skates past Serena and down Miroir Way. Serena watches as she disappears around Route 11’s bend and starts her trek to Reflection Cave, as well.

Serena passes through the small Route 11 and reaches a large cave entrance in the mountainside. On the outside of the cave are warning signs against rollerskating and biking, so Serena takes off her skates and steps inside. Upon entering the cave, Serena spots one of her friends up ahead.

“Oh! Hi, Shauna~!” Serena calls out, causing the small girl to turn to her and wave enthusiastically.

“Sera! ♪” Shauna excitedly calls out as she runs up to Serena, “Do you mind walking through this cave with me? I’m not scared or anything, I just don’t want to go alone!”

“With you? I don’t see why not!” Serena replies, “Just don’t get lost~” Serena teases Shauna.

“Ehh?! I won’t get lost!” Shauna claims as she puffs her cheeks.

“I know, I know. I’m just messing with you,” Serena tells the girl, “Let’s go, then!” Shauna nods as the two begin to walk through the cave. The cave has a strange glow that allows the girls to see the walls covered in a crystal that reflects as clear as a mirror. Serena takes time to examine the smooth surfaces, “I’ve never heard of a cave filled with mirrors…” Serena places a palm on the material.

“It’s so pretty! ♪” Shauna replies, “Maybe one of these mirrors will lead us to another world!”

“Another world?” Serena responds with a soft laugh, “Maybe if this were some fairy tale about a princess and a Bunnelby.”

“There’s no point in not trying! ♪” Shauna replies, now touching all of the mirrors in hopes of finding the other world. Serena watches as the girl runs to each surface, placing her hands on them all.

“Just be careful that you don’t run into any wild Pokémon,” Serena warns the girl. The girl was too busy looking for wonderland, however, and eventually, the girls reached the exit.

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot to tell you!” Shauna turns to Serena as the leave Reflection Cave, “I heard from the professor that the Tower of Mastery here in Shalour City may hold some secret to Mega Evolution! ♪ You should go check it out when you get the chance.”

“Tower of Mastery? Sounds like a plan, thank you!” Serena says the energetic girl as she takes note of the location.

“Well, I’m gonna go look around the city! See you later!” Shauna tells Serena before running off. Serena waves before stopping by the Pokémon Center and looking at her notes.

“The Tower of Mastery? Doesn’t sound like it should be too hard to miss…” Serena looks around for a moment. She turns around and backs up from the Pokémon Center to see a large, multi-layered tower to the far northern end of the city, “Well... That certainly looks like an important building…” Serena heads towards the tower.

Serena reaches the tower past a large beach connecting an island to mainland Kalos. Upon entering, she looks up at a large statue of a Pokémon that resembles a Lucario of sorts surrounded by a spiral stairway to the top of the tower. Under the Lucario statue is a door that Serena enters to find Korrina and an older man who both look to her.

“Oh?” The man begins upon Serena’s arrival, “You must be Serena, then. Sycamore told me you would be coming.”

“The professor? That must mean his suspicion is true. Nice to meet you,” Serena replies with a curtsy.

“Yes, indeed. I’m called the Mega Evolution guru. I guess you could say I’m an acquaintance of his,” the man replies, “Oh, but Mega Evolution guru isn’t my real name, of course. Now come here for a moment, will you?” Despite her confusion, Serena walks up to the duo, “Hm? Only one of you? I thought he gave five kids a Pokédex,” the man looks around.

“Well, he did-- They just didn’t come with--” Serena begins to explain as the door opens again. Tierno and Trevor enter the now-crowded room.

“Oh! Who’s that you’re talking to, Sera?” Tierno asks as he walks up to the group.

“People call me the Mega Evolution guru!” The man replies for Serena.

“Uh, my name is Tierno,” Tierno tells the man, “And that’s Sera over there.”

“My name is Trevor,” Trevor continues.

“Pleased to meet you, Sycamore’s pupils!” The man tells the Trainers, “But there are still only three of you, huh?” As if on cue, voices can be heard from outside the room, “Hm? Sure a lot of hubbub out there. Does that mean everyone has arrived?” The guru then goes to check it out, followed by Tierno and Trevor. Korrina then approaches Serena.

“Hey there! So you made it to Shalour City!” She exclaims, “Lucario is in its Poké Ball, but it’s really happy to see you! Well, we should see what’s going on, too!” Serena nods and follows Korrina out of the room, where Calem and Shauna have met the others.

“Hmm! Looks like everyone is finally here,” the guru says as Korrina and Serena exit the room.

“Sera! ♪ You made it!” Shauna waves to Serena as she exits the room. Serena then joins her friends.

“How are your Pokémon?” Calem asks Serena.

“Oh! They’re doing just fine at the moment!” Serena replies with a smile.

“It feels like it’s been some time since our whole group has gathered in one place,” Trevor says, evoking a nod of agreement from the others.

“Yeah. I think it’s been since we met up on Route 7,” Tierno reiterates before turning back to the guru, “Mr. Mega Evolution Guru… I’ve been wondering this whole time. Who is that over there?” Tierno turns to Korrina who gives a wave to the Trainers.

“This is my granddaughter, Korrina. She’s the Shalour City Gym Leader,” the man explains before getting back on topic, “So, Sycamore’s pupils. Now that you’re all here… I suppose I should explain Mega Evolution to you. I assume you all know about Pokémon Evolution?” He asks the group, who collectively nods, a few of the young Trainers even adding their known information on how Pokémon can evolve.

“Exactly!” Korrina exclaims, “And it’s likely that Pokémon evolve in a lot of other ways as well! But Mega Evolution is an evolution that transcends all other Evolution!”

“Indeed!” The guru continues, “Mega Evolution is a transformation of Pokémon that were thought to be unable to evolve any further! It’s a whole new level of power!”

“So in an evolutionary line like Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard… Does that mean Charizard would be able to evolve even further?” Trevor asks in an attempt to clarify what the guru means.

“Yep! Exactly right!” Korrina jumps in, “But not all Pokémon have a Mega Evolution.”

“There’s a reason why I used the word ‘transformation’ a moment ago,” the guru continues, “Mega Evolution differs from Evolution because it ends after a certain amount of time. In other words, it’s a temporary Evolution.”

“What?! It evolves, but then it goes back to what it was before?” Shauna asks in complete shock.

“Yes… Mega Evolution is a special type of Evolution,” Korrina explains, “That said, we still know very little about it. What we know now is that it requires special items. And the most important element is the trust between Pokémon and Trainer.”

“Trust… In other words, the bond between Trainer and Pokémon!” Calem clarifies.

“To make Mega Evolution work, you need two items: A Mega Stone for the Pokémon and the Mega Ring, which has a mysterious stone set in it, for the Trainer,” the guru tells the Trainers, “Since Professor Sycamore entrusted each of you with a Pokédex, I would like to give these items to all of you… I’d like to share them with you, but…”

“But?” The impatient Shauna asks the guru, “But what? Just come out and say it already!”

“Shauna…” Serena says under her breath in a disapproving manner, quieting the anxious girl.

“Sorry, but presently, I only have one Mega Ring…” The man says, “It’s a very precious item. That’s why my research isn’t getting anywhere… So, I want all of you to decide among yourselves which one of you will be the one who challenges the Mega Evolution successor.” The Trainers exchange glances before Tierno, Shauna, and Trevor all drop out for their own reasons, leaving Calem and Serena.

“Serena, let’s battle for it!” Calem offers as he takes out a Poké Ball, “No matter what the reason is, a battle is a good chance for the two of us to compete and see who Vaniville Town’s best Trainer really is!”

“Well… I don’t want to be the best, but I’ll accept your battle anyways!” Serena says as she pulls out her own Poké Ball.

“I will master Mega Evolution and set myself apart from other Trainers,” Calem tells Serena, “I’ll also do it for my Pokémon-- We’ve come so far together and they never stopped believing in me, their Trainer. You and your Pokémon are stronger… I can tell just by looking at you. But I’m not going to lose. The winner of this battle will be me! Let’s go, Meowstic!” Calem calls out the Pokémon from the ball, a Pokémon similar to Ruru with inversed colors and scruffier fur appears in front of him.

“I may not wish to be better… But I too hope to use Mega Evolution, so don’t expect me to go easy! Let’s do this, Seri!” Serena throws her Poké Ball into the air.


	6. The Évolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After earning her Cliff Badge, Serena heads to the Tower of Mastery where she meets the Mega Evolution guru. The Mega Evolution guru offers Serena and her friends a single Mega Ring, leading to a battle between Serena and Calem. Who will get to challenge the Mega Evolution successor?

Calem calls out the Pokémon from the ball, a Pokémon similar to Ruru with a primarily blue body and scruffier fur appears in front of him.

“I may not wish to be better than anyone… But I too hope to use Mega Evolution, so don’t expect me to go easy! Let’s do this, Seri!” Serena throws her Poké Ball into the air. Out of her Poké Ball appears a black hound Pokémon with bone marking along its back and head, “Use Bite!” Seri bares its fangs at the opposing Meowstic and runs towards the Constraint Pokémon.

“Meowstic use Fake Out!” Calem calls out to his Pokémon, who goes in for a hard hit before slowing to a light slap, causing Seri to flinch, “Now, use Light Screen!” The opponent’s Meowstic raises its ears, causing a thin barrier to appear in front of it.

“So we can’t use special attacking moves… That’s fine with me! Go for a Howl” Serena commands her Pokémon, who steps back and howls into the vast tower, raising her attack stat, “Now go for another Bite!” Seri now runs back towards Meowstic with an open jaw and bites down on the Meowstic’s arm, who tries to shake Seri off.

“Meowstic! Disarming Voice!” Calem directs as his Pokémon raises its ears and lets out a cry, causing Seri to let go of her grip and back off. Seri quickly shakes the effect off, however.

“You think that’ll stop us? Keep going, Seri! Use Ember!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon, who creates a fireball in her mouth and spits it at Meowstic. The light screen reflects most of the ember, but flames still get through. The reflected embers create a cloud of smoke around the barrier.

“Be careful, Meowstic!” Calem tells his Pokémon, but Seri had already run in and soon a Meowstic comes flying out. The cat lands on all four feet and stands back up. As Calem’s Meowstic returns to its feet, the cloud of smoke begins to glow from the inside. Garnering the attention of all the Trainers. The glow then dissipates as the smoke is blown away from Seri. Seri has grown bigger with more bone markings on her body, specifically medium-length horns and a bone collar. Her tail as grown out and looks devil-like.

“Seri evolved..!” Serena exclaims in shock. After a quick scan with her Pokédex, she finds that Seri has evolved into Houndoom, “Alright, Seri! Let’s see what you can do! Use Bite again!” Seri growls and runs at the weakened Meowstic at a much faster speed than before, taking hold of the Pokémon in her jaw and throwing it back towards Calem, where it lies fainted.

“Tch… Meowstic return,” Calem says in an annoyed tone before calling out his next Pokémon, “Your turn, Absol!” Out of this Poké Ball comes another dog-like Pokémon with long, white fur and a horn coming from the side of its head.

“A Dark-type, huh..? Seri, return!” Serena recalls her new Houndoom and sends out her next Pokémon, “It’s your time to shine Citrus!” Out of her Poké Ball appears a small, nymph-like Pokémon holding an orange flower like a parasol.

“OK Absol! Use Slash!” Calem commands to his Pokémon, whose horn begins to glow a faint white and it charges at the opposing Floette.

“Citrus use Fairy Wind!” Serena directs her Pokémon, who twirls in the air, causing a sparkling gust of wind to blow towards the oncoming Absol, slowing it to a stop and shattering the barrier around it.

“Keep it up Absol! Quick Attack!” Calem calls out to his Pokémon, who takes in energy and runs even faster, managing to run through the wind and hits Citrus with its horn. Citrus flies into the air and stops by floating above the crowd.

“Retaliate with Magical Leaf!” Serena tells her Pokémon, who does another twirl, summoning leaves around her and directing them to the opponent’s Absol, who tries to dodge but it pelted by the magical plant life anyway.

“Absol, use Slash!” Calem tells his Pokémon, who gets a running start before jumping up to Citrus and slamming her to the ground with a direct hit. Citrus faints from the impact.

“You did your best, Citrus, come on back,” Serena remarks as she recalls the Fairy Pokméon, “Then let’s go with you, Ruru!” Serena calls out her white and blue Meowstic who brushes her fur to the side.

“Keep up the good work, Absol! Use Bite!” Calem tells his Pokémon, who bares its fangs and runs at Ruru.

“Ruru, Fake Out!” Serena quickly tells Ruru, who imitates the Fake Out used before and causes Absol to flinch, “Now use Charge Beam!” Ruru jumps back and raises her ears as her eyes turn red. She holds out a paw that charges a ball of electricity and shoots it out in a laser at Absol. The Absol is hit and jumps back as electricity runs through Ruru’s fur.

“Absol use Slash!” Calem directs his Pokémon, who runs at Ruru once again.

“Disarming Voice!” Serena directs. Ruru jumps back as the Absol hits the ground and lets out a cry, the energy coming from her cry getting electricity caught in it from her fur. The energy hits Absol and causes an electrical explosion. After the smoke settles, Absol is seen fainted and Calem sighs before recalling Absol. 

“I’m already down to my last Pokémon… It’s up to you, Frogadier,” Calem tells the Poké Ball before throwing it and causing a frog Pokémon with a mane of bubbles to appear, “Use Water Pulse!” The Pokémon creates a ball of water in its hands and throws it towards Ruru. The pulse hits Ruru, causing her to lose her footing. The electricity in her fur reacts with the water, shocking Ruru and fainting her.

“Ruru!” Serena cries before sighing, “Alright, return! Let’s go Honeysuckle!” Serena recalls Ruru and sends out her grassy goat Pokémon, “Use Seed Bomb!” The Mount Pokémon stomps the floor and launches seeds from its pelt that land at the Frogadier’s feet and explode, sending the frog backward.

“You still in this, Frogadier?” Calem asks his Pokémon who nods, “Alright! Use Quick Attack!” The Bubble Frog Pokémon now takes in energy and runs at Honeysuckle quickly.

“Hurry, Honeysuckle! Use Bulldoze!” Serena calls out as her Pokémon slams its front hooves to the ground, shaking the floor under Frogadier and causing it to fall, “Finish it off with Seed Bomb!” Once again, Honeysuckle fires seeds out of her pelt and around the fallen Pokémon. They quickly explode and knock the Frogadier back, where it faints at Calem’s feet.

“You did it Honeysuckle!” Serena exclaims as she kneels to Skiddo's height and pats Honeysuckle’s head before recalling Honeysuckle to her Poké Ball.

“Looks like… I lost,” Calem mutters to himself as he recalls Frogadier before looking to Serena, “Your bonds with your Pokémon are really strong. I don’t like losing much, but… I’m sure you’ll be able to Mega Evolve your Pokémon!”

“You really think so?” Serena asks him, “Well, your bond with your Pokémon is super strong, too! I’m sure that, one day, you’ll be able to master Mega Evolution, as well!” Serena tells him, trying to cheer him up.

“There may be winners and losers in a Pokémon battle,” Korrina speaks up, “But I really thought you two and your Pokémon were all winners! Mega Evolution is nothing more than just one way to make Pokémon stronger. There are many Trainers who bring out the strength of their Pokémon without Mega Evolution.” Calem nods in response as the guru begins to speak to Serena.

“Well then, Serena!” He begins, “First, you should challenge Korrina, the Gym Leader.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Serena replies as she looks to Korrina.

“Pokémon need a Mega Stone! And Trainers need the Mega Ring!” Korrina explains once again, “Well, my mysterious Trainer, my Lucario may have taken a shine to you, but now I must test to see if you’re ready to challenge the Mega Evolution successor! I’ll be waiting for you at the Gym!” She then skates off down the beach and into Shalour City. Calem then turns back to Serena.

“I’ll bet the professor will be happy when you master Mega Evolution,” Calem tells her, “That’s one way you can show mastery as a Trainer.” He then walks off. The others soon depart as well. With that, Serena heads to the Shalour City Gym. The gym resides in view of the Tower of Mastery, making it a quick journey to the Gym housing a skating rink. After beating the Gym Trainers, Serena grinds a railing to the center of the Gym, where Korrina strikes a pose.

“Time for Lady Korrina’s big appearance!” She shouts eagerly, “Haha, I’m just messing around with you! I know, you’re rollin’ in the aisles, right?” Serena gives Korrina a confused look, “I already know you’re a strong Trainer, so let’s get this show on the road! Go get ‘em, Mienfoo!” Korrina calls out a small, yellow and red ermine Pokémon, who holds a fighting stance.

“We’ll prove our strength again! Let’s show them, Reign!” Serena tosses a ball into the air and a large pterodactyl Pokémon emerges from the ball and flies overhead, “Use Wing Attack!” Reign flies above Korrina’s Mienfoo for a moment before swooping in with his wings spread out.

“Mienfoo, use Fake Out!” Korrina calls out. The Martial Arts Pokémon waits for Reign to get close enough before making a false hard hit, causing Reign to flinch and land on the battlefield, “Now use Power-Up Punch!” With Reign on the ground, the Mienfoo lands a direct punch before jumping back and raising its attack stat. Reign slides across the ground from the hit before retaking flight.

“Alright Reign, use Aerial Ace!” Serena commands her Pokémon who swoops back in and hits the Mienfoo twice, sending it backward and weakening it significantly.

“Mienfo, retaliate with another Power-Up Punch!” Korrina tells her Pokémon, who jumps up towards Reign in a pose preparing to punch.

“Reign use Aerial Ace one more time!” Serena directs her Pokémon, who swoops in at the oncoming ermine and hits it twice. Both land on the ground and Mienfoo quickly faints, “Good job, Reign! Keep it up!”

“Don’t expect to stay in too much longer! Let’s take them out, Machoke!” Korrina tells Serena as she recalls Mienfoo before throwing out another Pokémon, this time a large, buff blue Pokémon that resembles a wrestler, “Use Rock Tomb!” The large pokemon summons stones and hurls them at the Aerodactyl, knocking Reign out of the air.

“You alright, Reign?” Serena asks the Fossil Pokémon, who stands up with a nod and a roar, “Alright! Use Aerial Ace once more!” Reign flies up and swoops in towards the opposing Machoke.

“Not so fast, use Power-Up Punch!” Korrina calls out as her Pokémon winds its fist back and punches the oncoming Aerodactyl causing both to get hit and fly back. Reign, however, lies fainted on the battlefield. Serena looks over the Machoke as she returns Reign to his ball.

“Alright… Then… Citrus, it’s your turn!” Serena then calls out a small fairy Pokémon holding an orange flower, “Citrus use Petal Blizzard!” The small Pokémon spins and creates a flurry of petals that surround Machoke and pelt it rapidly. Once the petals fade, the Machoke shakes it off.

“A few leaves won’t do anything to us! Hit them with a Power-Up Punch!” Korrina tells her Pokémon, who runs up to Citrus and hits her head-on, causing her to fly back. Citrus seems mostly unfazed by the attack.

“Way to take a hit, Citrus! Use Fairy Wind!” Serena calls up to her Pokémon, who twirls in the air causing a gust of wind to blow down at the opposing Superpower Pokémon. The Machoke stands its ground for a moment before sliding back, “Great! Now get it while it’s weak with a Petal Blizzard!” Citrus spins once again, summoning more petals from her flower that fly towards the downed Machoke and surrounded it, swirling like a blizzard. Once the blizzard of petals dissipates, Machoke is seen fainted.

“What an amazing performance! But we’re not done just yet! Let’s go, Hawlucha!” Korrina exclaims as she calls back her Machoke and calls out a small, red, and white hawk Pokémon with a green luchador mask-marking on its face, “Show them your moves with a Flying Press!” The Wrestling Pokémon jumps up into the air with a front flip and falls straight down onto Citrus with its arms extended. The hard-hit knocks Citrus out, causing Serena to recall her.

“This Pokémon seems pretty strong… Then the best way to counter it is with you! Let’s go, Ruru!” Serena tells herself before sending out her white Constraint Pokémon, who brushes her tuft of fur upon landing on the battlefield, “Ruru use Psyshock!” Ruru nods and lifts her ears as her eyes turn red, collecting psychic energy into small masses that chase down Hawlucha.

“Use Flying Press to dodge!” Korrina calls out to her Pokémon, who one again flips into the air and heads for Ruru as the psyshock particles slam into the ground.

“Quickly, use Disarming Voice!” Serena commands Ruru, who lets out a cry as she jumps back, the cry temporarily throwing Hawluch off-guard and causing it to hit the ground, “Now use Psyshock again!” Ruru once again creates small masses of psychic energy that slam into the Hawlucha as it tries to regain its balance. Despite the multiple blasts, the Wrestling Pokémon gets back on its feet.

“We’re still in this, Hawlucha! Use Power-Up Punch!” Korrina calls out, her Hawlucha once again flips into the air and rushes down at Ruru with its fist extended.

“Careful, Ruru! Use Psyshock one last time!” Serena tells her Pokémon, her looks up at the oncoming Hawlucha, and creates a large mass of psychic energy that breaks into hundreds of small masses that pelt the Wrestling Pokémon mercilessly. The Hawlucha hits the ground next after fainting in the air. Korrina looks on in amazement.

“How could it be?!” She exclaims as she recalls Hawlucha, “Oh! I’ve been defeated! Alack, alay! Lady Korrina gave a terrible display! This is it. I must give up my title and admit that your strength exceeds--” She cuts herself off, “Just teasing! But here’s your badge. Boy, you’ll be rolling in ‘em soon!” She then hands Serena a badge shaped like two fists, “There’s your Rumble Badge!” The then hands Serena the TM for Power-Up Punch.

“Amazing job, Ruru! And thank you, Korrina~” Serena pats her Pokémon and recalls her before looking back to Korrina.

“Look… I do have to apologize,” Korrina begins.

“Apologize? For what?” Serena asks with a puzzled look.

“You’ll have to make it to the top of the Tower of Mastery if you want the Mega Ring,” Korrina explains, “I’m sorry for sending you this way and that. I swear I’m not giving you the runaround! You’ve done great rolling with the punches. So great that I’d like to ask you a favor… Battle me again, won’t you? But this time, it won’t be just another Gym Battle… I want a battle between equals! As two Trainers who can use Mega Evolution!”

“A Mega Evolution battle? Sure, you’re on!” Serena replies with a determined expression.

“Great! I’ll be waiting for you with Lucario at the top of the Tower of Mastery!” Korrina replies before skating out of the gym. And, after a quick stop at the Pokémon Center, Serena heads back to the beachside Tower of Mastery. Upon entering the tower, the Mega Evolution guru tells her that Korrina is waiting at the top. Serena nods and heads up the large, spiral staircase. The staircase leads her to a balcony overlooking the darkening sky where Korrina stands with two Lucario.

“I really love this place!” She exclaims whilst still looking over the horizon, “When I’m here with my Pokémon, looking at the open sky above, all my worries disappear, and I feel like I can do anything!” She now turns to Serena and approaches her, “Thanks for coming all the way up here.”

“Oh! It was no issue at all, thank you for having me!” Serena replies as she looks at the sky above, which is now beginning to show small sparkles of stars.

“It was decided that this must be the place where the Mega Ring is handed over,” Korrina explains as she pulls out a silver bracelet fitted with a mysterious, multi-colored stone, “Something about making sure we never forget to set our sights as high as the sky. And here it is-- Your very own Mega Ring! It’s in the shape of a bracelet so it’s super easy to wear!” Korrina now hands the bracelet to Serena who puts it on neatly around her wrist and strikes a pose. Lucario then walks over to Serena.

“Eh? Lucario?” Serena gives the Pokémon a confused look as it stands in front of her and faces Korrina.

“Hmm? Lucario what’s wrong?” Korrina asks the Pokémon, who gives her a grunt, “Lucario, are you sure?” Serena tilts her head, unable to understand the Pokémon as Korrina does, “You want to battle alongside that trainer? Haha! Well, she must be something special! So, whaddya say, Trainer? Will you and Lucario battle against me and my Lucario?”

“A Lucario battle? Well, I don’t see why not… Let’s do it!” Serena answers.

“A Lucario-on-Lucario battle! It’ll be nothing short of riveting. They both have a Lucarionite in hand! How about we get this show on the road?” Korrina states as she raises her gloved hand to reveal her own keystone.

“We’ve got this, Lucario!” Serena declares as the battle begins.

“Ready, Lucario?” Korrina asks her Pokémon, “Let’s give it all we’ve got! Mega Evolve!” Korrina places her palm on the keystone and it begins to glow along with the stone around her Lucario’s neck. The opposing Lucario is surrounded in light as it takes the appearance of the statue from inside the tower.

“Alright, we’ll do the same!” Serena claims as she places two fingers on her Mega Ring, causing the same transformation to take place on the Lucario taking her side. After a quick check of Lucario’s moves via the Pokédex, Serena is ready to fight.

“Great! We’ll go first this time! Lucario use Power-Up Punch!” Korrina calls out, as her Pokémon runs at the opposing Lucario.

“Counter with a Bone Rush!” Serena commands as her Lucario creates a bone between its hands and blocks the oncoming punch. Her Lucario pushes Korrina’s back and begins to attack with the bone it had created. Serena’s Lucario lands three hits before the bone disappears, “Now use Power-Up Punch!” Her Lucario now goes in for a punch.

“Not so fast! Lucario use Metal Sound!” Korrina directs. Korrina’s Lucario now bangs the spikes on its hist together, creating a deafening sound that sends Serena’s Lucario back, “Now use your own Power-Up Punch again!”

“You too, Lucario! Power-Up Punch!” Serena calls out. Both Lucario throw punches that land and sends both backward. Both land down on the knees, holding themselves up with a single paw. That is until Korrina’s Lucario collapses to the ground and faints. Korrina recalls her fainted Lucario.

“What an explosive battle! I could tell that both Mega Lucario didn’t hold anything back!” Korrina exclaims as her second Lucario heads back to her side, “With strong bonds like that, you shouldn’t have any trouble triggering your Pokémon’s Mega Evolution! As long as Pokémon and Trainers have the kindness to care for each other and give each other courage, the world will be full of smiles!”

“Kindness and courage can go pretty far, huh?” Serena asks herself in response.

“Well, then I guess that’s that!” Korrina finishes, “Maybe we’ll see each other in the future! See you around!” Serena waves to the excitable Gym Leader as she exits the balcony and heads out of the Tower of Mastery and towards Route 12. Before she exits to Fourrage Road, however, Calem stops her and gives her the HM for Surf.

Upon entering Route 12, a man offers to let Serena ride a Lapras across the water, which she does. She then comes across a ranch full of Skiddo and decides to look around. One of the Skiddo allows her to ride up and over a lege to a field on the far side of the ranch, where Serena finds a brightly-colored stone that shines in the rising moonlight.

“Woah… This is quite the find… Isn’t it?” Serena says to herself as she puts the stone in her items pocket. She then returns the Skiddo home and heads to Courmarine City when she gets a Holo Cast. Serena answers and Calem’s image comes from the device.

“Serena, I challenge you to a battle in front of the gym!” He exclaims.

“Right now? Can’t it wait until tomorrow..?” Serena asks with a yawn.

“Oh, well I guess that’s fair. Sure! You’d better be ready!” Calem replies before hanging up. With that, Serena talks to a man who gives her a fishing rod and heads to the Train Station up to the other half of Courmarine City. This time being greeted by the professor and Diantha who turn to look at Serena.

“Why hello, Serena!” The professor starts as he waves. Serena walks up to the pair to see what’s happening, “Congratulations! I see you’ve finally obtained everything you need for Mega Evolution! A Mega Stone for the Pokémon, a Mega Ring for the Trainer, and a strong bond with your Pokémon.” Diantha turns to the professor.

“A strong bond?” She asks him.

“It’s only a hypothesis, but I think the bond between Pokémon and Trainer is the key to this new Evolution,” The professor explains to Diantha, “But what is this bond, exactly? There’s still so much we don’t know…”

“Does this make you think of something like Kalos’s Legendary Pokémon?” Diantha asks.

“Oh! What an excellent point! Indeed! The more you know, the more there is to research!” The professor answers before turning back to Serena, “The excitement never ends, does it?” The professor pauses for a moment before getting a surprised look, “Oh, that’s right! I came here to give you this!” The professor then hands Serena the HM for Fly. Before saying his goodbyes and leaving with Diantha. Serena watches them go before riding the train to the other side of Courmarine City and finding a hotel where she rests for the night.

After her rest, Serena heads straight for the Gym, which is built into a cliff face. The large cliff seemingly concealing a large Gym. When she reaches the door, a voice calls out from behind her.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” The boy says as he runs up to her, “The reason I wanted to meet you is so I could see Mega Evolution in action. Whether you use it or not is up to you. But since I’m a Pokémon Trainer, I want to know about things that make Pokémon special.”

“Good morning, Calem. And sure! You’re on!” Serena replies as she pulls out a Poké Ball and throws it into the air.


	7. The Remeur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena and her rival, Calem, face off to see who gets the Mega Ring to unlock the power to use Mega Evolution. After which, Serena takes on her third gym and earns herself the Rumble Badge before making her way to Courmarine City, where yet another rival battle awaits her. What will be the outcome, and what will come upon Serena within the walls of Lumiose City?

“Sure! You’re on!” Serena exclaims as she throws her Poké Ball into the air, revealing a small goat Pokémon with a grassy pelt, “Let’s go, Honeysuckle!” 

“Then it’s on. I choose you, Meowstic!” Calem retorts as he sends out his scruffy, blue Meowstic.

“We’ll go first, Honeysuckle use Seed Bomb!” Serena calls out as her Skiddo begins to shake its pelt.

“Not so fast. Meowstic use Fake Out!” Calem commands. His Meowstic runs up to Honeysuckle and fakes a hard hit, causing her to flinch, “Now use Light Screen!” His Meowstic now jumps back and creates a barrier of light around itself.

“Let’s see… Use Bulk Up!” Serena tells her Pokémon who stomps the ground and bulks herself up, raising her attack and defense stats, “Now use Take Down!” Honeysuckle now rears back before charging down the opposition Meowstic and hitting it with a hard tackle. She jumps back after the hit and shakes herself off.

“That was a hard hit, you alright Meowstic?” Calem asks his Pokémon who nods in response, “Then hit them with a Psybeam!” The opposing Meowstic now raises its ears and fires a multi-colored beam as its eyes turn red.

“Honeysuckle, dodge it, and use Bulldoze!” Serena calls out to the Mount Pokémon who runs to the side of the beam and jumps over it as it moves closer before slamming the ground at the Meowstic’s feet with her front hooves, shaking the ground and causing the Meowstic to lose its balance, “Now finish it off with a Seed Bomb!” Honeysuckle now fires seeds from her pelt that surround the toppled Meowstic and bombard it. Once the bombing is done, Meowstic is seen fainted on the ground.

“Tch… You did well, Meowstic,” Calem tells his Pokémon before recalling it, “Somehow, every battle with you seems to get even harder than the last. I don’t get it. Let’s go, Absol!” Out of the next Poké Ball comes a white, dog-like Pokémon, “Use Quick Attack!” The Pokémon takes in energy and makes a quick dash at Honeysuckle before hitting her and sending her backward.

“You alright, Honeysuckle?” Serena asks her Pokémon who nods slightly, “Then use Take Down!” Honeysuckle backs up slightly before rushing toward the opposing Disaster Pokémon and headbutting it with a hard hit. After the hit, Honeysuckle sways slightly and collapses.

“Nows your chance, Absol!” Calem exclaims, “Use Slash!” The Absol now uses its horn to slash at the weakened Skiddo, causing her to faint.

“Hm… Alright, return!” Serena sighs and recalls her Skiddo, “So you wanted to see Mega Evolution? Let’s try this, then! Go, Reign!” She throws out her Fossil Pokémon, who now has the stone received from the Fossil Research Lab strapped around its ankle, “Come, Reign! Mega Evolve!” Serena places two fingers on her keystone and causes Reign to take a glow as large, pointed stones grow from his body.

“I see… Alright, we won’t falter now! Absol use Bite!” Calem exclaims as his Pokémon takes a running start towards the flying Fossil Pokémon and leaps at Reign with bared fangs. The Absol takes hold of Reign’s leg, holding on even as he tries to shake the Pokémon off.

“That won’t do anything to us! Reign use Crunch!” Serena calls out. Her Pokémon does a flip, throwing the Absol off and catching it in his large jaws. Reign shakes the Pokémon for a moment before throwing it to the ground. The Absol falters upon landing but pulls itself to its feet.

“We’re still in this! Counter with a Quick Attack!” Calem commands his Pokémon, who takes in energy and quickly jumps up to Reign and strikes him. Reign flies backward but is relatively unscathed.

“Alright, now use Rock Tomb!” Serena directs. Reign now pulls loose boulders from the surrounding cliffs and hurls them at Absol, they shatter upon impact and create a cloud of dust. Once the dust settles, Absol is seen fainted on the ground.

“Mega Pokémon are scarily strong…” Calem says bluntly as he recalls his Absol, “But we still have one more! Go for it, Frogadier!” Out of his final Poké Ball comes a blue frog with a bubble mane, “Use Water Pulse!” The Frogadier summons water in his hands and fires a pulse at Reign.

“Quickly! Use Crunch!” Serena calls out as Reign opens his jaw and chomps down on the pulse of water, breaking it instantly.

“What on Earth?! I’ve never seen a Pokémon with such a powerful bite…” Calem claims in shock.

“Hehe~ Finish this battle quickly! Use Rock Tomb!” Serena commands as Reign throws more stones at Frogadier, surrounding it in crumbling stones. As the dust settles, Calem’s Pokémon is once again fainted.

“Hmph… Even though we set off from Vaniville Town at the same time, there’s a gap in our strength,” Calem tells Serena with a sigh as he recalls his Pokémon, “Do I have something you don’t? I guess I have to think about that… Well, good luck with your Gym Battle.” Calem turns and leaves.

“I wonder… He always seems so down when he loses…” Serena mentions to herself before turning back to the gym and entering. The inside of the gym is a large tree full of vines and netted bridges. Serena quickly climbs her way up the tree, defeating Trainers along the way. Eventually, she reaches a hollow at the top of the enormous tree, where an elderly man stands with large scissors. Behind him, a large bookshelf above an equally large desk.

“Ho! So yeh’ve made it clear up here!” The man begins with a toss of his scissors, “I’m the Gym Leader. Ramos’s the name.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Serena!” Serena replies with a smile.

“Very nice, indeed. So what’d yeh think, whippersnapper?” Ramos asks the much younger Trainer, “Did yeh enjoy the garden playground I made with all these sturdy plants o’ mine?”

“The puzzle was fun!” Serena answers, “Never knew how intense swinging on some vines could be.”

“Oho, glad to hear it,” the Gym Leader tells her with a grin, “Their strength is a sign o’ my strength as a Gym Leader! Yeh sure yer up to facing all that?” He then pulls a Poké Ball off his belt.

“As sure as I’ll ever be!” Serena replies as she reaches for her own Poké Ball, “Let’s go, Seri!” Out of her Poké Ball comes a horned, hound-like Pokémon with skeleton markings across its body.

“I like yer passion, whippersnapper. Show yer own strength, Jumpluff!” The man calls out as he releases his Pokémon from its ball. Out of the ball comes a blue Pokémon covered in three large cotton balls around its body, “Yeh can go first, youngin’!”

“Alright then, Seri use Fire Fang!” Serena commands her Pokémon, who bares her fangs as they get covered in flames and runs at the opposing Jumpluff. Seri jumps up and bites down on Jumpluff, causing a short burst of flames. The Jumpluff is noticeably hurt but still remains in the battle.

“A simple fire attack like yers there won’t be enough to rattle us!” Ramos tells Serena, “Let’s hit ‘em with an Acrobatics, Jumpluff!” The Jumpluff moves quickly and attacks Seri at a blinding speed multiple times, sending her backward.

“Such quick movements… Be careful, Seri. Use Smog!” Serena tells her Pokémon, who breathes out a ball of poisonous smog that surrounds the opposing Jumpluff, “Now use Fire Fang once again!” Seri then runs through the disappearing smog and bites down on a startled Jumpluff, causing an eruption of flames that are intensified by the smog. Both Pokémon fall to the ground. Seri, however, lands on her feet and howls as Jumpluff faints.

“Dear me, that was very quick indeed,” Ramos states as he recalls Jumpluff, “No matter here, it’s yer turn, Weepinbell!” Out of his next Poké Ball comes a large, yellow, pitcher-plant Pokémon that lands on the ground, “Alright Weepinbell, use Acid!” The Pokémon spits a ball of toxic liquid from its mouth at Seri. The liquid splashes at Seri’s feet and over Seri’s body who tries to shake it off, “Now, while it’s weak use Grass Knot!” The Weepingbell now summons plants from under Seri that knot around her feet, causing her to fall. She recovers quickly, though.

“You’re still in this, Seri?” Serena asks her Pokémon, who growls at Weepinbell in response, “Then use Bite!” Seri runs toward the Weepinbell and bites onto its body, shaking it around a bit before throwing it away. The Pokémon lands upright and glares at Seri.

“Finish her Pokémon with a Poison Powder, Weepinbell!” Ramos calls out to his Pokémon, who shakes its body, spreading spores that stick to Seri and make her sick.

“Urgh… It’s too risky keeping Seri in when she’s poisoned… Seri return!” Serena directs her Pokémon before returning Seri to her Poké Ball, “A Poison-type, huh..? Alright, let’s go with you, Ruru!” Serena then calls out her starter Pokémon, a white, bipedal, cat-like Pokémon who brushes herself off upon entering the field.

“What a wonderful Pokémon yer raising there, whippersnapper. It’s a shame my plant Pokémon will have to mess up her fur, use Acid!” Ramos tells Serena as his Pokémon spits out another ball of acid from its mouth.

“Not so fast! Ruru use Fake Out!” Serena calls out to Ruru, who quickly runs up and feigns a hard hit, causing Weepinbell to flinch, “Perfect, use Psyshock!” Ruru uses her close proximity to the opponent to swiftly barrage the Flycatcher Pokémon with concentrated psychic energy. Quickly, the already-weakened Weepinbell faints from the attack.

“Why what an amazing display, youngin’. We ain’t done just yet, though,” Ramos warns Serena as he recalls Weepinbell, “Show them yer strength, Gogoat!” Ramos then calls out a large goat Pokémon, large enough to be ridden on. The goat shares a similar appearance to Honeysuckle.

“That must be Skiddo’s evolution… Be careful, Ruru!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon who nods.

“Being careful won’t do ye much good against my Gogoat!” Ramos claims, “Hit ‘em with a Bulldoze!” The large Mount Pokémon rears up before running at Ruru and slamming its front hooves to the ground, causing the whole tree to shake. Ruru is knocked off her feet by the impact, “Now use Take Down!” The Gogoat then ducks down and rams its horns into Ruru, sending her flying into a wall where she faints.

“Ruru..!” Serena calls out as Ruru flies past. Serena sighs and recalls Ruru before sending out her next Pokémon, “Honeysuckle, go!” This time, a smaller goat Pokémon appears on the battlefield.

“Oho, so ye have a Skiddo of yer own, do ye?” Ramos asks as he looks over the smaller Mount Pokémon, “No matter here, my Gogoat will easily over-power that little sprout. Use Take Down!” The Gogoat once again rears up and charges at Honeysuckle.

“Honeysuckle use Bulk Up!” Serena directs her Pokémon, who braces for impact while raising her attack and defenses. The Skiddo and Gogoat lock horns and push at each other. The Gogoat pushes Honeysuckle back, but slowly it becomes unable to as Honeysuckle’s body takes a bright glow. Honeysuckle’s body grows to a similar size as Ramos’s Gogoat and takes its appearance. She then flips Ramos’s Gogoat as the glow dissipates, showing a Gogoat where a Skiddo had once stood.

“Well well! I didn’t expect yer wee Skiddo to evolve so suddenly!” Ramos chuckles as his Gogoat regains its footing, “We can still fight, though, Gogoat use Bulldoze!”

“Keep your balance, Honeysuckle!” Serena warns her Pokémon as the opposing Gogoat slams the tree once again. Honeysuckle nearly loses her balance but is able to stay on her feet, “Great, now use Take Down!” Honeysuckle ducks her head and runs at the opposing Gogoat at a break-neck pace, hitting it directly and pushing it back.

“Gogoat use yer Grass Knot!” Ramos directs his Pokémon, who summons vines from under Honeysuckle that wraps around her legs and trips her, “Now use yer own Take Down!” Now, the opposing Mount Pokémon rears back and goes for a hit.

“Be careful! Use Seed Bomb!” Serena calls out to the grounded Honeysuckle, who shakes her pelt and fires large seeds at the oncoming Gogoat. The seeds cause the opponent’s Pokémon to trip before the seeds explode, “Let’s finish this with Bulldoze!” Honeysuckle gets back to her feet and slams the tree in front of the fallen Gogoat. Once the small quake settles, Ramos’s Gogoat is seen fainted on the battlefield.

“Oho! Yeh believe in yer Pokémon... And they believe in yeh, too… Mighty oaks from acorns grow,” Ramos states as he recalls his final Pokémon, “Go on then. Yeh’ve earned it. Here’s your Plant Badge, sprout.” The elderly Gym Leader then hands Serena a leaf-shaped badge and a TM before sending her on her way.

After healing her Pokémon, Serena recalls that she had been given the HM for Fly, and teaches it to Reign. She then asks Reign to fly her back to Ambrette Town to which he gladly does. Once in Ambrette Town, Serena decides to fish for a final teammate after depositing Papi to the professor. Serena fishes for a while and is about to give up when she gets a bite. She pulls up a Clauncher with an unusual red shell and an odd shine.

“What..? I’ve never seen anything like this before…” Serena tells herself as she looks over the oddity. The Pokémon doesn’t struggle much and Serena easily captures the Clauncher in a Poké Ball, “You look like… A Larry.” She says to the Poké Ball before taking a flight back to Courmarine City and heading towards Route 13. As she enters the Lumiose Badlands, Dexio and Sina stop her and upgrade her Pokédex before heading to one of the Power Plants on the Route.

“Hm… Lumiose City was having an issue with a blackout, wasn’t it? Maybe it’d be worth checking out that power plant, too,” Serena mumbles as she looks over the vast badlands before her. After a quick look over her map, and with Ruru’s help, she finds out where she’s heading and embarks on her path to the Kalos Power Plant.

The walk was fairly quick, being elongated by strong winds and burrowing Pokémon, but the sight Serena finds at the entrance to the power plant annoys her immensely. Before her stands a smug Team Flare grunt who notices her immediately and approaches her.

“I’m a member of the stylish Team Flare, and you’re not! I’m gonna win in style!” He exclaims as he instigates a battle. He sends out a large, black dog Pokémon covered in bones, “Show her your style, Houndoom!” This, however, is fairly unamusing to Serena at this point and she swiftly calls out Reign.

“Let’s finish this quickly. I have a bad feeling that I know what happened to Lumiose City,” she tells the rock pteranodon, who nods, “Alright!” Serena raises her arm and places her palm on her keystone, “Mega evolve!” The Team Flare grunt watches in awe and fear as Reign’s body becomes covered in jagged stones, “Use Rock Tomb!” Reign creates large boulders around his body and hurls them at the opposing Houndoom, trapping it in a pile of rubble.

“What? Houndoom use Dark Pulse to break those boulders!” The grunt calls out. The Fire and Dark-type hound lets out a growl that causes a menacing aura to appear around its body, breaking through the rocks easily, “Now use Fire Fang!”

“Reign, block it with a Crunch!” Serena calls out as the hound makes a leap at Reign with fiery fangs. Reign flies up before swooping straight down onto the Houndoom and biting down on one of its horns. Then, Reign slams the opponent’s Pokémon into the ground, knocking it out swiftly.

“Huh?! I-- This is not how this is supposed to work! Stop doing that you annoying child!” The grunt shouts as he recalls his Houndoom, “Go, Golbat!” Now, he sends out a large, purple bat with an equally large mouth.

“Eh, being annoying is better than being stupid,” Serena retorts.

“What are you saying, twerp?!”

“I mean, just look at your team. My Aerodactyl makes quick work of your Pokémon,” She replies, “Here, I’ll show you. Reign use Rock Tomb again!” Reign repeats its previous actions, nailing the opposing Golbat to the ground with large boulders, “Now, use Fly!” Reign launches up into the air, only to come back down after a few moments to directly hit the grounded Golbat and fly back to Serena. The opponent’s Golbat was knocked out as quickly as it appeared.

“Eh?! So quickly?!” The grunt exclaims in a shocked tone as he recalls his Pokémon, “No matter! I’ll just stylishly run away!” He begins to make a break for it before stopping, “Huh? Wh-where's my Power Plant Pass?! Oh no! Did I drop it somewhere?!” He begins frantically searching his pockets, “I know! I’ll make a stylish deduction! I must’ve dropped it when I was feeling around that boulder over there!” Serena overhears this, unsurprisingly, and looks over to the boulder the grunt was referring to.

“Looking for this?” She calls out to him and flashes the pass in his direction.

“Oh no! The annoying child has found my Power Plant Pass!” The man exclaims before running off, “Now I’m really stylishly running away!” Serena watches him with an annoyed look.

“Right, then! Reign, let’s go deal with the Team Flare weirdos,” She tells her Pokémon and runs into the Power Plant. The scene inside was off-putting the moment she walked in; no workers were bustling around and it was dead silent. Serena quickly walked towards the core of the Power Plant, which was infested with Team Flare grunts. She and Reign made quick work of the grunts surrounding the generator before heading up to it and finding two important-looking Team Flare members as they’re discussing something between themselves.

“How much longer?” The man in a white suit asks the woman who turns to him.

“If you’re just interested in the facts, I’d say we already have enough energy to power the device,” she replies nonchalantly.

“Good. Let’s finish up here and move out. There’s still more work to be done,” he adds before turning back towards the exit and spotting Serena.

“What other work do you mean?” The woman asks and follows his glare, “Perhaps you mean taking out that annoying little pest blocking our way over there?” She appears to glare at Serena, too, but it’s impossible to see under the high-tech mask she’s wearing.

“Looks like we’re on the same page. Let’s get her,” he nods in response and sends out a Houndoom. The woman chimes in with another black dog Pokémon.

“Allow me to introduce myself, brat. My name is Aliana. As you can see, I’m one of Team Flare’s Scientists. I’m researching a certain something that you wouldn’t understand anyway.,” she tells Serena coldly, “Unfortunately for you, I’ve been charged with the simple task of your elimination. Get her, Mightyena!”

“A double battle? At least you guys are switching it up. Let’s go, Citrus!” Serena replies as she calls out a second Pokémon, “Make quick work of these creeps! Reign use Rock Tomb on Houndoom. Citrus use Fairy Wind!” Reign hurls boulders at the admin’s Houndoom while Citrus blows a sparkling wind towards Mightyena. Houndoom is hit badly whilst Mightyena gets blown back slightly.

“Shrug it off, Houndoom. Use Flamethrower on that Floette,” the man commands harshly. The opposing Houndoom opens its mouth and shoots a large flame at Floette, the attack leaves her with minor burns.

“You think a little wind is going to topple my Pokémon? Mightyena use Assurance!” Aliana calls out to her Pokémon. The opposing Mightyena quickly runs over to Citrus and lands a devastating blow, knocking her out instantly.

“Hm… Better than your grunts, I’ll give you that,” Serena mocks as she recalls Citrus, “Let’s go, Honeysuckle!” Next out of her Poké Ball is a large goat Pokémon covered in a grassy pelt, “Use Seed Bomb on Mightyena! Reign finish Houndoom up with Fly!” Honeysuckle shakes her pelt, throwing large seeds at Mightyena’s feet that explode on impact, sending it into the railings of the walkway as Reign takes to the air, just dodging a bite from Houndoom.

“Mightyena use Scary Face!” Aliana commands her Pokémon, who jumps back into the action and flashes its teeth at Honeysuckle, who instinctively backs away from the opposing Pokémon. Then, Reign swoops down into Houndoom, sending it flying across the walkway, where it lands and faints.

“Tch… Make this quick, Aliana. We don’t have time to waste here,” he tells the scientist as he recalls his Pokémon.

“Oh, I’ll make it quick, all right. Mightyena use Assurance again!” She calls out to her Pokémon, who looks for a weak point on Honeysuckle as it rushes towards her.

“Not so fast! Honeysuckle use Take Down!” Serena shouts. Honeysuckle lowers her head and runs straight at the approaching Pokémon, who swiftly tries to stop, but it’s too late and Honeysuckle makes a direct hit onto the Mightyena. Mightyena gets sent along the walkway to Aliana’s feet, who promptly recalls it.

“Hmph. You’re quite strong. Oh yes, very strong, indeed,” Aliana mumbles angrily before looking back to Serena with a smirk, “Well, I certainly didn’t expect you to be so interesting! I do hope we can meet again! Next time, I’ll be sure to break you down,” she suddenly states before turning to her cohort and nodding.  
“We got what we need, we’ll be leaving now,” she tells Serena and walks past her and leaves with all the grunts.

“Tch… Those Team Flare geeks are weird,” Serena tells her Pokémon before recalling them, “But, at least it's over now! That means I can head back to Lumiose City and--” she’s suddenly cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching her, in which she turns to look at her new pursuers. Two people which seem to be Dexio and Sina in mediocre hero outfits, donning no more than a mask in cape.

“Oh my!” Sina begins, “You chased off that mysterious bunch before we could even get here? Well, I guess there’s always room for more defenders of Kalos!”

“Didn’t you guys leave before me…?” Serena asks slightly in disbelief.

“Wh-Whatever are you talking about, stranger?” Dexio replies, “I don’t believe we’ve ever met before.”

“Riiiight..?” Serena continues.

“Well, I think us mysterious people will be off now!” Not-Sina exclaims as both of them turn and run off.

“I guess those Team Flare guys aren’t the only weirdos running around…” Serena sighs before exiting the Power Plant and heading down to Lumiose City. Once again, the path is tough due to the conditions of the badlands, but Serena eventually makes her way to the Lumiose City Gate. She begins to run down the stairs before noticing another oddity-- An unnaturally large man stands at the gate. He makes a small gesture towards Serena without facing her.

“The Pokémon… The flower Pokémon…” He mutters under his shaky breath, “The Pokémon that was given eternal life…” And, just as mysteriously as he appeared, he disappears into the gate.

“Eternal life?” Serena asks herself, “What’s that supposed to mean? Immortality..?” Serena shrugs and walks through as well, entering the northern side of Lumiose City overlooking the large tower at the center of the city. Within a few steps, a familiar voice stops her once again.

“Sera! ♪” Shauna’s voice rings out from behind causing Serena to spin on her heel to follow the source.

“Oh, hey Shauna!” Serena waves as Shauna runs up and stops to catch her breath.

“I ran after you like crazy when I spotted you up ahead!” She explains through her breaths, “Know what? I heard the power’s back on here in Lumiose City! Some really bad people were stealing electricity from the Kalos Power Plant… And then someone came and stopped ‘em!”

“Hmm… It would appear to be that way, wouldn’t it? I wonder what happened.” Serena looks around convincingly.

“No one knows who did it, or what happened, but they must be awesome! Who do you think it was?” Shauna asks, excitement practically spilling from her face.

“Who knows? It could’ve been Dexio and Sina for all we know,” Serena replies, not wanting to get her friends involved with Team Flare-- especially not the frankly naive Shauna.

“Those two?! No way! They just help the Professor with Pokémon stuff!” She says in response, “But, I guess that means there’s someone else out there as strong as you, Sera!♪”

“Ehhh? I don’t know about that,” Serena tells her light-heartedly.

“Oh, oh! I almost forgot!! They’re gonna light the tower!” Shauna exclaims suddenly and points over to the large structure., “Let’s go see it, Sera! It’s Lumiose City’s most famous sight!”

“Is that so? Alright, it’s not like I was doing anything anyway,” Serena nods with a light smile and Shauna dashes the Central Plaza. Serena tries to keep up but doesn’t have the energy output that Shauna has. The two quickly reach the base of the tower where two people sit-- One with a male with a large backpack full of gadgets and the other being a smaller girl about half the height of the male.

“We’re just in time! ♪ They’re about to turn on the lights!” Shauna exclaims as she calls out to the two before them, “Clemont, Bonnie! Hiii!!” Both turn around in unison as Shauna turns back to Serena, “Clemont is Lumiose City’s Gym Leader! He’s also good at inventing things, and he makes all kinds of devices!”

“Oh, Shauna!” The little girl, presumably Bonnie, waves to Shauna, “And you are… a challenger? Sorry, but could you wait a moment?” She turns back to Clemont, “C’mon, Clemont!” Clemont pushes up on his glasses.

“All right! Everything’s ready!” He suddenly exclaims, “The future is now, thanks to science! Prism Tower lighting system… ACTIVATE!” He then dramatically presses a button and turns to the tower. Both Serena and Shauna follow suit as the tower lights up from top to bottom, glowing brightly amongst the dimming sky.

“I think you call this feeling being ‘entranced,’ right?” Shauna is the first to speak up in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, which quickly fades back to normal, “Now, I have another great memory with you, Sera! ♪” Serena gives her a light smile again as Clemont speaks up once again,

“Excellent... “ He begins, “My Prism Tower lighting system worked brilliantly, just like all my inventions.” This causes Bonnie to give him a certain look of disbelief.

“Yeah, right… Whatever,” she says before turning back to Serena and Shauna, “Prism Tower itself is Lumiose City’s Pokémon Gym!”

“You’ll have to wait a while so we can make sure everything is working properly on the inside too, however. If you wish to challenge me, then you’ll have to come back tomorrow,” Clemont explains before turning and entering the tower.

“Ah, well that’s fine. I was planning on getting some rest first after exploring a bit, anyways,” Serena says as she turns back to Shauna.

“I see! Well, I’m going to go straight to bed, then!” Shauna replies, her excitement seeming to finally start draining, “I’ll see you later, Sera! ♪” With that, Shauna runs off down one of the avenues, leaving Serena at the base of the tower.

“Well… First off…” Serena begins to talk to herself again as she plays with her hair, which has grown out since the last time she’s been in Lumiose, “I should do something about this.” Serena nods and heads in the direction of the barbershop-- Which is, luckily, still open at this hour. Serena gets her hair put up into pigtails and gets her black hair dye redone before exiting and returning to the Route 13 Gate.

“Welp, guess I’m exploring some buildings~,” Serena tells herself and immediately begins scouring the buildings: some more vacated than others, some with friendly people than others, and then she reaches an eerily empty one, “Eh? Are the workers going home this early…?” She wonders as she takes the elevator, which seems to be creaking slightly, to the third floor. The chill air of the room is the first thing Serena feels as the elevator door opens.

“G-Geez… Did someone leave the AC on?” She jokes out-loud as she looks around, “If nobody was here, why is the building unlocked?” Serena sighs as she picks up a piece of paper on the ground, “Wait… This paper is signed for… 1996? Why would a company keep papers for 20 years? Especially stuff this washed--” She’s cut off by a supernatural breeze behind her. She turns around and finds… nothing, “Ok… Weird…” She turns back in the direction she was facing and spots a girl that hadn’t been there moments before. Serena lets out a yelp and falls back onto the ground.

“No… You’re not the one…” The girl says simply and quietly before walking off. Her steps and her body speed don’t match, making her look like a floating cartoon animated, except it’s 3D. She disappears around a corner with another cold breeze. Serena takes a moment to collect herself.

“What on Earth…? Wait! Who are you? What do you mean by that?” Serena is now filled with curiosity at the vague statement as opposed to the dreadful fear she had felt just moments prior. She rushes around the corner to where the girl had walked off to-- nothing, “What? She was just here!” She continues to search the office, examining every surface and potential hiding place. This girl was small so she could fit into almost any of these spaces. Though, she was also wearing all black with dead-black hair-- only her skin was white as a Gardevoir’s dress, making it easy for her to hide in the dark if she needed to. This search continues for a while before Serena eventually gives up with a sigh, leaving the building behind and heading to a nearby hotel.

“I’ll be back to find that girl,” she tells herself before laying in bed and falling asleep.


	8. The Rencontre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After gaining her fourth badge with the help of Mega Aerodactyl, Serena made her way back towards Lumiose City. But first, she took on Team Flare at the Lumiose Power Plant. After a quick view of watching the Prism Tower light up, Serena explores the city and finds a strange girl in an eerie office building. Just who could this girl be?

Serena wakes up with a yawn and quickly changes. She picks up a Poké Ball and calls the creature out from its containment after getting changed out of her pajamas.

“Alright, Ruru! The game plan for today!” She begins to explain to the white cat Pokémon, “First we go get the gym badge, then, on our way out of town, we’re going back to that building and you’re helping me find that mystery girl.” Ruru nods in response after stretching. Serena nods in response, “Good! Now, let’s get this electric gym out of the way.” Serena quickly runs downstairs, checks out of the hotel, and sprints towards the Prism Tower in the Central Plaza of Lumiose City. Upon entering the gym, the small, blonde child from yesterday greets them.

“Oh! Looks like our first challenger of the day is here!” The girl exclaims, “Just step onto this elevator and we’ll begin the gym challenge.” Serena nods and does as she’s told. Upon stepping onto the pad, she’s lifted to a room with a quiz-like setup, “You can call me Bonnie. I’m this Gym Leader’s younger sister, and I will be quizzing you for your gym challenge!”

“Interesting… Very different. OK! Show me what you’ve got!” Serena replies excitedly as she approaches the podium. She then looks up to a screen which displays the silhouette of a Pokémon-- a Pikachu, to be specific.

“Who’s that Pokémon?!” Bonnie asks loudly, “If you think it was Emolga, pick elevator number 1! For Dedenne, pick elevator number 2! And for Pikachu, pick elevator number 3!”

“Eh? This is easy! This is clearly a Pikachu,” Serena nods confidently and steps into the third elevator. After a few seconds, there’s a dinging noise and the elevator rises to the next floor.

“Ding-ding-ding! You’re correct! Well, aren’t you a clever one!” Bonnie says as Serena reaches the second floor, “Next up we have another Who’s that Pokémon!?!” She gestures to the screen, which shows a small bird silhouette, “If you think it was Fletchling, pick elevator number 1! For Pidgey, pick elevator number 2! And for Taillow, pick elevator number 3!”

“Hmm… It definitely looked like the Fletchling back home so…” Serena contemplates her answer before stepping into elevator 1. Once again, there’s a pause, a ding, and a rising elevator, “Walk in the park!” She exclaims happily as pats Ruru’s head.

“You’re two-for-two! Time for our third question!” Bonnie shouts, keeping up the enthusiasm, “Please look to the screen!” Serena obliges and on the screen appears a silhouette of one of the elemental monkeys, “Another Who’s that Pokémon?!” For Pansage, pick elevator number 1! For Pansear, pick elevator number 2! And for Panpour, pick elevator number 3!”

“This is definitely getting harder. Those monkeys all look so similar…” Serena examines the silhouette closely, “Buuut… I think I know which one it is!” Serena walks over to the third elevator and enters. There’s, once again, another ding and the elevator rises to go along with the celebratory sound.

“Final question time!’ Bonnie informs Serena as she motions to the screen. This time, the screen shows three different butterfly Pokémon in a row, “Which one was the Pokémon, Vivillon? Pick the elevator that matches its position!”

“Three different butterflies and one of them is Vivillon. Well, good thing I battled Viola, then!” Serena exclaims as she rushes over to the second elevator and enters. This time, the pause is much more dramatic, but the elevator eventually makes its dinging sound and rises to the final floor. Serena walks up to the battle platform.

“Oh! Thank you for coming. Allow me to introduce myself…” The Gym Leader begins before being interrupted by Bonnie.

“This is the Gym Leader of Lumiose City, Clemont!” She chimes in, “You’d better watch out! My brother’s strong! As strong as you’d expect a Lumiose City Gym Leader to be, got it?” Clemont sighs at her interruption. Serena, however, finds it amusing.

“Bonnie! How many times do I have to remind you…” He begins, ready to reprimand Bonnie, “It’s not my own strength that matters, nor any other Trainer’s. None of us would be here if it weren’t for our Pokémon.”

“I know, I know!” Bonnie replies, a bit annoyed about being lectured, “Anyway, I hope you two have an awesome battle!”

“I’ll make sure of it, Bonnie,” Serena assures her causing Clemont to turn back to Serena.

“She’s right about that, at least,” he continues, “Let’s both do our best in battle.” Mechanic arms suddenly spring out of Clemont’s backpack, one hand holding a Poké Ball, “The future is now, thanks to science!” He sends out a small, yellow and black flying squirrel Pokémon, “Let’s go, Emolga!”

“Alright, Ruru! Let’s go!” Serena calls out as Ruru runs up to the battlefield.

“As per rules, the challenger takes the first move! Show us what you’ve got!” Clemont reminds Serena from the opposite side of the room.

“Right! Ruru use Psyshock!” Serena commands the cat Pokémon, who raises her ears and collects balls of psychic energy that get hurled towards the opponent’s Emolga. The opposing Pokémon manages to outspeed some of the attacks and takes minimal damage.

“Emolga counter with an Ariel Ace!” Clemont orders his Pokémon, who switches direction and flies straight for Ruru.

“Ruru quickly! Use Fake Out!” Serena shouts. Ruru jumps forward and prepares for a large hit, which startles the opposing Emolga, only to hit it lightly before jumping back, “Now use Disarming Voice!” Ruru lets out a cry that causes the Emolga to try and plug its ears before returning to the sky.

“You alright Emolga?” Clemont asks his Pokémon who nods in return, “Great, use Volt Switch!” The opposing Emolga creates rings of electricity that it launches towards Ruru. They hit Ruru and immediately fly back at Emolga, who’s caught in the rings and sent back to its ball, “Let’s go, Heliolisk!” Suddenly, a large, yellow frilled lizard emerges in front of Ruru.

“Wh-What?!” Serena asks in a startled tone.

“Volt Switch is a move that does damage before forcing the user to switch,” Clemont explains, “Use Parabolic Charge!” The opposing Heliolisk jumps into the air and sends a shockwave towards Ruru, the shockwave returns to Heliolisk and makes it appear stronger.

“Tch… Ruru use Psyshock again!” Serena calls out. Ruru once again raises its ears and gathers small masses of psychic energy.

“Not so fast! Heliolisk use Thunderbolt on those masses!” Clemont retorts. The opponent’s Pokémon sends a bolt of electricity into the masses, causing a large explosion. After the dust settles, Ruru is seen fainted on the ground.

“Geez… This is going to be tougher than it looks… Ruru, return!” Serena calls back her Pokémon, “You did well, we got one weakened and that’s what matters. Let’s go, Honeysuckle!” Out of her next Poké Ball emerges a large, grassy goat Pokémon who lands on the ground with a thud, “Use Bulk Up!” Honeysuckle prepares herself physically, raising her attack and physical defense stats, “Now use Take Down!” Honeysuckle lowers her head and charges the Heliolisk down.

“Heliolisk dodge it and use Quick Attack!” Clemont calls out. His Pokémon builds up speed and dodges at the last moment and attacks from behind. Honeysuckle is relatively unfazed by the attack.

“Right where we want him! Use Seed Bomb!” Serena commands, causing Honeysuckle to slam the ground with her front hooves and shake large seeds out of her pelt that surround the opponent’s Heliolisk and explode, sending the Pokémon flying.

“Heliolisk! Use Volt Switch!” Clemont orders. The opponent’s Heliolisk fires rings of electricity at Honeysuckle that bounce back and send it to its Poké Ball, “Go Emolga!”

“Alright, Honeysuckle! Your foe’s weak, so hit them with a Take Down!” Serena informs Honeysuckle, who ducks her head down again and runs at Emolga, who prepares to dodge. However, Honeysuckle suddenly jumps and hits Emolga directly, sending it flying into the wall where it falls to the ground.

“Agh! Emolga return!” Clemont calls back his Pokémon and readies his next Poké Ball, “Fine, show them the power of SCIENCE! Go, Magneton!” The next Pokémon to come out is a three-headed mass of steel and magnets, “Use Electric Terrain!” Suddenly, the entire battlefield is covered in electricity.

“Things just got a whole lot harder…” Serena mutters to herself, “No matter! This is an easy victory! Honeysuckle use Bulldoze!” Honeysuckle slams the battlefield with her front hoofs, causing a minor earthquake that sends bits of the earth onto the opposing Magneton. It looks like it’s about to faint already.

“Urgh… Magneton use Mirror Shot!” Clemont commands. The opposing Magneton brings in light from the surrounding terrain and fires it at Honeysuckle. The light gets bigger and intenser as it nears the Mount Pokémon, drawing in from its surroundings. The hit is devastating and leaves Honeysuckle low on health and unable to move.

“Honeysuckle, return!” Serena sighs, “Well, let’s try this, then! Go, Larry!” Out of her next Poké Ball appears a red crayfish Pokémon that glistens in the light.

“What on Earth? I’ve never seen a red Clauncher before! This is groundbreaking, I must observe it!” Clemont exclaims from the other side of the battlefield, eyeing Larry’s coloring.

“It’s weird, right? I just found him while fishing off Ambrette Town-- But that’s not why he’s out! Larry use Water Pulse!” Serena calls out as Larry raises his larger class and gathers water within it before firing it in a quick-moving ring with a snap of his claw. The water pulse completely covers the opposing Magneton and the surrounding electricity gets pulled into the water, causing extra damage and knocking out the Magneton.

“What a bold strategy, using a Water-type against my electric types!” Clemont says slightly mockingly, “Let’s finish this quickly with Heliolisk!” Clemont calls his Heliolisk out once more, the final stretch of the battle, “Use Parabolic Charge!” Heliolisk jumps into the air and fires a wave of electricity at Larry.

“Larry, watch out!” Serena calls out just before Larry’s body takes on a glow and his claw becomes much larger and his body morphs to accommodate, “Larry?! How is that going to help you?!” Larry creates a ball of water in his claw that draws in the wave and fires back another Water Pulse at Heliolisk who is instantly knocked out by the ring of water as the electric terrain fades.

“Eh?! My Electric-type Pokémon lost to a Clawitzer?!” Clemont exclaims in defeat as he recalls his Heliolisk.

“Oh… I suppose that works! You did it, Larry!” Serena exclaims as well, but much more surprised than Clemont is.

“M-My brother…” Bonnie runs up to Clemont, “You lost?”

“Oh, Bonnie…” He begins to reply, “When will you learn there’s no shame in losing? I’m glad whenever I get to learn something new thanks to strong challengers like this girl here. Why I never expected a Clauncher to use conductivity to its advantage rather than its downfall.” He turns to Serena, “Now, to the victor go the spoils! This Voltage Badge belongs to you!” Clemont hands Serena her 5th badge and a commemorative TM for Thunderbolt.

“Thank you! That battle was really fun!” Serena does a curtsey, “I’ll make good use of this TM when I get the chance!” Serena waves to the Gym Leader and his sister and exits the Prism Tower. As soon as she begins to head off towards the building, however, she gets a call on her Holo Caster. She answers it and sees the Professor.

“Hello there!” He begins with a wave, “I wanted to talk to you for a little bit. Could you come to Lysandre Café? Thank you!”

“Wha- Wait!” Serena sighs in annoyance, “Alright, a small change in plans…” Serena heals her Pokémon and heads to the Lysandre Café… What a narcissist… She quickly arrives at the café due to its proximity to the Pokémon Center and walks in.

“Over here!” Professor Sycamore calls out to Serena as soon as she enters. Serena walks over to the two, “I was just having a conversation with Lysandre about Mega Evolution.”

“I would like to congratulate you as well,” Lysandre speaks up, “Mega Evolution is something I, too, would like to be able to use.” The Professor turns to Serena again.

“Actually, Lysandre himself is of royal ancestry…” He explains, “He truly is a chosen one.” This brought up some thoughts about Robeselia and the Reign of Thorns, but Serena decides not to bring that up.

“True. I’m a descendant of the king’s younger brother,” Lysandre adds on, “That being said, that story is 3,000 years old, so it might not be entirely reliable.”

“By the way, Serena…” Professor Sycamore says, suddenly changing the topic, “Do you know where the Holo Caster is made?”

“Oh? Yeah, Lysandre’s lab made it, didn’t they?” Serena answers a bit impatiently.

“That’s right!” He assures, “Lysandre is a great man. He supports Trainers and Pokémon research with some of the profit from the Holo Caster.”

“People can be divided into two groups,” Lysandre adds, “Those who give… And those who take… It’s just as how the Kalos region’s two Legendary Pokémon gave life and took life.” This part piques Serena’s curiosity, but her impatience gets the better of her and she doesn’t ask for elaboration. Lysandre looks up to the roof, “I want to be the kind of person who gives… But in this world, some foolish humans exist who would show their strength by taking what isn’t theirs,” he clenches his fist and shouts, “They’re FILTH!” He then turns back to the Professor, “Long, long ago, the king of Kalos sought to take everything for his own, and he created a terrible weapon. Then the fire of destruction was unleashed… That is the legend that has been passed down.” He now turns back to Serena, “Kalos is beautiful right now! There will be no foolish actions if the number of people and Pokémon do not increase. That being said, the future isn’t decided. You can’t be sure each day will be like the one before,” he explains as he turns back to the Professor once more, “What the king of Kalos did was reprehensible, but… The ultimate weapon did manage to wash the world clean of that era’s filth.” With that, Lysandre leaves as he says, “Thank you for listening.”

“What a passionate person. He’s just like a blazing flame,” the Professor says as Lysandre walks off, “Perhaps his pride in his lineage is what makes him burn so intensely. That being said, what Lysandre says is only one way of looking at things… It’s not necessarily the truth.” He walks up to Serena, “Serena! What’s truly important is the time you spend together with others! Treasure these moments spent traveling the Kalos region with your friends and Pokémon!” Serena nods and turns to leave, but then she gets an idea.

“Hey, Professor Sycamore?” She turns back and begins to ask, “Have you ever heard of a Lumiose City ghost girl?”

“A Lumiose City ghost girl, you say? I have probably heard bits and pieces of such a rumor flying around. But alas, rumors are no more than rumors most of the time. But, if you truly believe that something like that is in Lumiose City, then you should enjoy yourself and try to find it!” He tells Serena, who nods in response, “Well, I should get going. See you around, Serena.” With that, the Professor leaves as well. Serena takes the chance to run down to the building she had last night’s encounter and enters the chilly third floor.

“Alright Ruru, come on out,” Serena whispers to the Poké Ball and calls out her Meowstic, who immediately begins scanning the area. Serena looks around but can’t seem to find anything, “Hello? Are you here?” No response, “Are you the, uh, Lumiose City ghost girl?” Nothing… However, Ruru seems to have picked up on something nearby, “Oh? Do you see something Ruru?” Ruru nods and walks over to where the girl had been seen last, “Hmm? There’s nothing here…”

Ruru turns her head as if watching something move around. She begins following something that Serena can’t see until eventually, Serena sees a glimpse of a black dress darting around a corner.

“H-Hey! It’s alright! We’re not here to hurt you-- Whoever you are,” Serena tries to reassure the girl. She watches the corner and sees the girl’s head poke out from around the corner, giving her a look of disdain as if asking why she was there, “Hi! I’m Se--” Serena tries to introduce herself but the girl disappears around the corner. Serena runs over to try and catch her but finds nothing. Ruru tugs at Serena’s bag and points over to the other side of the room, where the girl now peeks from, “Wha-- Hey! You don’t have to hide from me…”

Serena quickly runs over to where the girl was, but she’s disappeared again. Once again, Ruru alerts Serena to the girl being on the opposite side of the room, this time baring a slight smirk.

“She’s turned this into a game, now…” Serena sighs, “Fine! Then I’ll just have to catch you and introduce myself then!” Serena thinks of how to accomplish this and swiftly gets an idea. She runs over to the other side of the room and notices the girl is gone and whispers to Ruru to stay put before sneaking over to the other side of the room. Serena can hear the girl giggling behind the wall-- She’s clearly enjoying this. Once the giggling stops, Serena stealthily moves around one side of the wall and spots the girl peeking out again. Then, swiftly grabs her from behind.

“Wah!!” Serena yelps at the cold body she was half-expecting to be able to grab hold of, the girl lets out a similar sound, “G-Gotcha!!” The girl immediately begins to struggle to get out of her grasp, “Ah! I’m sorry!” Serena lets go of the girl who jumps back for a moment and gives Serena a frightened look before vanishing in front of Serena’s eyes.

“W-Wait! Don’t go!!” Serena reaches out to where the girl was but nothing is there, “Ruru? Can you see her?” Ruru looks around for a moment and shrugs with a shake of her head, “Dang it… I must’ve scared her off for good…” Serena sighs, “But, we should check anyways! Maybe she still wants to play?” Ruru nods and begins looking around. This goes on for some time before suddenly Serena gets a call on her Holo Caster. This time it’s from Trevor.

“Hello, Sera. How have you been?” He asks as soon as Serena answers, “I just wanted to let you know we’re all going to meet on Route 14. Please come and join us.” Then, he hangs up.

“I guess she’s good as gone, then…” Serena sighs, “Well they’re waiting…” She turns back to the room before leaving, “If you’re still in here, I’ll come back eventually!” She pets Ruru and returns her to her ball before heading to Route 14. As soon as she arrives, she’s greeted by Trevor and Calem.

“You arrived very quickly!” Trevor exclaims. Serena simply sighs in response and walks up to them.

“Hey, Sera!” Calem waves as Serena approaches.

“We were just comparing how complete our Pokédexes are,” Trevor explains, “I won, of course!”

“I’ll leave filling up the Pokédex to you guys, Trevor,” Calem responds with a shrug, “It’s boring when everyone does the same thing anyway…”

“Sera! Let’s compare how many Pokémon we’ve seen, just like we always do!” Trevor exclaims, and does as such, only to be disappointed that he lost.  
“There sure are lots of different kinds of Pokémon in Kalos,” Calem adds with a nod, “Guess it’s my turn, now! Serena, I challenge you to a battle!”

“A battle? Oh, sure,” Serena shrugs and reaches for a Poké Ball. Her reaction causes Calem and Trevor to exchange glances.


	9. The Révéler

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a quick gym battle with Clemont of Lumiose City. Serena is interrupted to hear a story from Lysandre before she finally returns to the building where she finds and accidentally scares a familiar face. Now on Route 14 with a gloomy expression due to the failed encounter, and facing another battle against Calem. What will Serena do about this mysterious girl of Lumiose City?

“Alright, then-- Let’s go, Meowstic!” Calem calls out as he reveals his first Pokémon, a small blue cat Pokémon with ruffled fur. Serena seems to have her mind elsewhere until Calem speaks up again, “Uhh… Serena?”

“Oh! Sorry! Come on out, Honeysuckle!” She snaps back to reality and brings out her Gogoat, “Use Take Down!” Honeysuckle ducks her head and prepares to run at the opponent.

“Quick, Meowstic, use Fake Out!” Calem retorts. His Meowstic nods and jumps up to Honeysuckle and fakes a hard hit, only to hit Honeysuckle lightly and cause her to flinch, “Now use Psychic!” Now, Meowstic raises its ears and lets out a wave of psychic energy that lifts Honeysuckle and throws her back. Honeysuckle lands on her feet next to Serena.

“You alright, Honeysuckle?” Serena asks, eliciting a nod from her Pokémon, “Alright, then use Seed Bomb!” Honeysuckle shakes her pelt and fires seeds towards the opposing Meowstic and they blow up immediately, causing the Meowstic to fly back as well.

“As expected, you always seem to be just out of reach,” Calem sighs, “Use Light Screen!” His Meowstic raises its ears once again and creates a barrier around itself that shimmers in the last bits of sunlight poking through the clouds.

“Honeysuckle, retaliate with Bulldoze!” Serena commands as her Pokémon raises its front hooves and slams the ground, shaking the earth under the Meowstic’s feet and knocking it over, “Now, use Take Down!” Honeysuckle lowers her head and rushes at the toppled cat Pokémon and hits it directly, sending it flying next to Calem where it faints.

“Meowstic, return,” Calem mutters while he recalls his fainted Pokémon, “We’re not done yet, I choose you, Absol!” Out of this Poké Ball comes a white and black dog Pokémon with a single, large horn on its head, “Use Swords Dance!” The Pokémon summons swords around itself that clang against each other before fading, raising Absol's battle prowess.

“Keep it up with another Take Down, Honeysuckle!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon, who ducks her head and runs at the opposing Absol.

“Absol dodge and use Slash!” Calem responds. His Pokémon jumps out of the way and quickly turns to land a devastating slash to Honeysuckle’s side, knocking her out instantly, “That’s what I like to see!”

“Geez…” Serena sighs and mutters, “I was hoping I could just quickly get through this battle. Honeysuckle, return,” she states as she recalls her Gogoat. At this time, the others are starting to arrive, starting with Shauna who waves enthusiastically before noticing the ongoing battle.

“Alright, then Reign, I choose you!” Serena exclaims as she throws another Poké Ball into the air, revealing a large, rocky prehistoric bird Pokémon, “Use Rock Tomb!” Reign spins and the air before launching large boulders at the Absol.

“Absol use Quick Attack to dodge, then use Bite!” Calem commands his Absol, who draws in energy and runs past the crashing boulders and jumps at Reign and Bites down onto his wing, “Don’t let go!”

“‘Don’t let go,’ he says…” Serena mutters, “Fine, Reign use Fly!” Reign nods and flies up into the air, bringing Absol along with him.

“What?!” Calem gasps, “Absol REALLY don’t let go!” Serena shrugs at the comment and raises her arm and places a hand on her mega ring. This attitude causes Shauna to speak up from the side as Tierno arrives.

“What’s up with Sera today…?” She asks Trevor, who simply shrugs.

“We don’t know, she’s seemed kinda down and a bit out of it since coming to meet us. I guess something is on her mind,” he replies matter-of-factly, “I don’t know if she seems up to talking about it, either, though.”

“What’s going on?” Tierno asks as he reaches the others.

“Sera seems upset…” Shauna says gloomily as she watches the battle progress.

“She’s upset, hmm?” Tierno asks quietly as he studies Serena to little avail, “Well, why don’t we all go to that haunted house that’s supposedly on this Route? That could help take her mind off whatever’s bothering her!”

“Wh-What?!” Trevor queries, “A-A haunted house? Are you insane?!”

“I don’t know, Trevs… It sounds fun! ♪” Shauna chimes, evoking a defeated sigh from Trevor.

“I suppose if she and Calem want to, it’d be fine… Not like we’d see anything actually scary there anyways…” Trevor tells them shakily. Right as this conversation ends, Reign slams into the ground with Absol still holding on and flies back to Serena; his body is now covered in jagged stones. Absol, on the other hand, fainted on impact.

“Mega Pokémon really are no joke... “ Calem groans as he recalls his Pokémon, “Then it’s up to you, Greninja!” Finally, Calem throws out his ace in the blue ninja-frog Pokémon, “Use Water Shuriken!”

“Get ready to dodge, Reign!” Serena warns Reign who nods as the opponent forms large shurikens made of water in his hands and begins throwing them at Reign, “Go! Use Crunch!” Reign flies through some of the Shurikens, causing some damage but ultimately manages to land a powerful bite on the Greninja; however, it seems relatively unaffected.

“Perfect! Use Smack Down!” Calem commands. Greninja spins out of Reign’s grasp, launching him into the air as he tries to stabilize himself and hurls a rock at Reign that sends him to the ground, “Now finish it off with Water Shuriken!” His Greninja moves swiftly to pelt Reign with large, liquid projectiles once again causing Reign to faint.

“Crunch did so little…” Serena thinks to herself as she recalls Reign and pulls out her Pokédex, “It’s a dark type now? That makes things interesting… Your time to shine, Citrus!” Out of this Poké Ball comes a small nymph Pokémon holding an orange flower above its head, “Use Petal Blizzard!” Citrus spins and conjures a flurry of petals that fly towards the opposing Greninja, doing considerable damage.

“Greninja return the hit with a Quick Attack!” Calem commands his Greninja, who builds up energy and rushes towards Floette at high speeds and connects a hit. Citrus is sent back but is relatively fine.

“Alright Citrus, let’s finish this with a Fairy Wind!” Serena orders Citrus, who spins and creates a sparkling wind that blows towards the opponent.

“Use Water Shuriken!” Calem retorts, but it’s too late-- By the time Greninja is ready to attack, the wind blows him back and he lands at Calem’s feet where it falls to the ground and faints.

“Nice work, Floette!” Serena congratulates her victorious Fairy-type and recalls it. Her expression changes to her previous, gloomy state as she stares at the Poké Ball momentarily.

“Battling with you is fun, but losing all the time doesn’t really make me look all that good,” Calem complains as he returns his Pokémon, “Whatever, I’m going to train so I can be sure to win next time.” The group waves quietly as he leaves up Route 14.

“Sera?” Shauna is the first to speak up, “Do you want to go to a haunted house with us? ♪”

“Eh? A haunted house?” Serena asks, a bit confused by the sudden suggestion.

“Yes,” Trevor continues, “Supposedly there’s one in the northern half of the Route if you’d like to join us.”

“It’ll be mega fun!” Tierno chimes in whilst doing a small dance of some kind.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Serena says quietly before sighing, “Sorry, I’ve been a bit down since I accidentally scared someone away from being a friend back in Lumiose…” Serena looks a bit guilty.

“Ohhh, that’s what happened?” Shauna inquires, “Don’t worry! I’m sure you’ll meet tons of other people! ♪”

“Oh, don’t worry Shauna, I know that!” Serena quickly clears up, “It’s just that this person was a bit more interesting than most, I guess you could say.”

“Ehh? What does that mean?” Shauna asks, slightly offended.

“Ah! I mean, the other people from Lumiose City! Not compared to you all, you guys are great just the way you are,” Serena replies with a smile, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding.

“I see… Oh well, then! Maybe you’ll meet someone in the next town over! ♪” Shauna responds, “Anyway, we should get going!”

“Indeed… We don’t want it getting too d-dark while we’re there…” Trevor agrees.

“Alright, then what are we waiting for?” Serena asks, clearly cheered up now, “Let’s go!” Thus, the group of four make their way through the swampy Route 14, taking out trainers and wild Pokénib along the way. Serena looks to the strange sound of splashing behind her-- Nothing like the Barboach jumping out of the deeper waters.

“Calem?” Serena calls out as she turns to the source of the sound-- Nobody is there, but ripples roll across the water’s surface, “Strange… Must’ve been a Poliwag…?”

“What are you waiting for, Sera? ♪” Shauna shouts from up ahead, “We should almost be there!”

“Right! Coming!” Serena responds and runs to catch up with the others. But, it’s not that long before she hears the sound of something in the tree line and swiftly turns towards the sound, “Again? What could that be…?” She wonders aloud as she examines the tree line, “The swamp gets so dark back there-- In the rain, at least. Anything could be watching from the shadows…” She shivers at the thought and races ahead until she finds an overgrown path.

“Oh! This must be the place,” Trevor confirms and leads them down the path. The walkway is soggy and reeks of rot, possibly from the house decaying from the lack of visitors.

“Eww!! Is it supposed to smell like that?!” Shauna blurts out suddenly as they near the end of the path.

“I’m… Not sure,” Trevor responds truthfully, “I’ve never had the guts to come to such a foreboding place.”

“Tell me again why we’re doing this, Tierno,” Shauna coldly inquires with a slight glare.

“It’s not that bad, maybe the plants just don’t do as well back here and die off quickly is all,” Serena says in an attempt to lighten all of their fears. Soon, they reach the remnants of a house with an expansive, clear yard with a direct view of the cloudy sky that begins to sprinkle droplets onto the friends below.

“So this is the house…” Shauna states plainly, even her excitable demeanor wavers at the scene. Not to mention the strange feeling of being followed that has been lingering with them for most of the trip, especially for Serena.

“I-It IS a scary house, isn’t it? Maybe we should turn back…” Trevor mumbles as he begins to turn around.

“Really? No way!” Serena exclaims, pushing him back towards the house, “We made it this far, might as well go in!”

“Sera… Your bravery is a little much sometimes… Even for me…” Shauna whimpers as they approach the house. The smell of must and mold fills the premises.

“Wait? You were seriously planning on going INSIDE?!” Tierno asks, genuinely surprised by Serena’s boldness.

“Well duh! Who just looks at an empty old house?” Serena retorts, even though she is feeling uneasy as well; but, maybe she can find something out about that strange girl. She did promise she’d be back, after all. Soon enough, Serena pushes open the door-- It feels like it could’ve broken with just a little extra force.

“Huh? It’s just an empty room?” Shauna asks, slightly annoyed that her fear was built up for nothing. Serena begins to look around when a man suddenly steps out of the darkness, eliciting a scream from each of the friends as they huddle near the front door.

“Let’s get started, then…” The man begins, ignoring the fact that the quaking teens just barged into his house, “It was a dark and stormy night many years ago. Lost, I arrived at this house and went inside. The lights would not turn on, so I fearfully looked around the house. Eventually, I made my way into the kitchen. There was no sign of anyone being there… I found the fridge, and when I opened it, a faint light leaked out. I could finally make out my surroundings. And I saw the faint outline of a man huddling in the corner of the room. I tried to tell him that I was lost and I was hoping he’d let me stay until morning, but when I approached him… The man suddenly screamed, ‘Stay back!’ I apologized and continued to plead my case. ‘Please, can’t you help me?’” The man’s voice starts getting deeper, “‘I’m not talking to you!’ he shouted. I looked at the man in surprise. When I did this, the man asked me… ‘Can’t you see them? Behind you!’” Suddenly, the man yells loud enough to send Shauna into a panic, “‘A horde of faceless men!’” Even Serena was startled by the sudden outburst, despite the lackluster story.

“Now then... “ The man continues, “Since I told a wonderful story that will always haunt you… Would you be so kind as to tip me? If you don’t, you might see something really scary.” The expressions of fear instantly change to that of confusion and anger.

“You’re charging us for that crappy story?!” Shauna shouts, enraged that she was fooled so easily.  
“Even haunted houses aren’t free, you know!” The man retorts, “Surely you five can spare some change for such a story!” Serena’s face instantly drops to that of worry and she backs towards the door, causing the others to look her way.

“I’m with Sera! Let’s get out of here!!” Shauna exclaims angrily as she storms out of the building. As soon as they all leave, though, Serena immediately begins looking around frantically.

“Is something wrong, Sera?” Shauna asks upon noticing her behavior.

“Did you lose something?” Trevor adds on.

“I… No… I need to go…” Serena stumbles over her words, a million questions racing through her mind.

“Oh, okay! See you later, Sera! ♪” Shauna replies in a much happier tone with a wave. Serena simply nods and runs down the path.

“That man… He said there were five of us-- Surely I didn’t mishear right?” Serena begins asking herself questions, “Calem wasn’t there… There would’ve been only four of us… Maybe he did it to scare someone observant enough to catch it? No, that’s such a minor thing…” Eventually she reaches a large, open field, this time with sunlight lighting up the surrounding area. Serena scans the treelines once more, “No… There was definitely something-- Someone following us… Someone who can hide easily, even from the traces of water…” She calls out Ruru.

“Hello? Is that you?"


	10. The Mémoire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a fierce battle against her rival, Calem, Serena and her friends, minus the aforementioned rival, head to an abandoned house deep in the swamps of Route 14. However, Serena gets the feeling that she's being followed, and this is amplified by what the weird haunted house man says in relation to the group. With this information, she splits from the group and finds a small clearing. Just who was lingering amongst the crowd?

“Hello? Are you there?” Serena’s question echoes out across the field, “Hello??” No answer. Serena kneels to Ruru, “Can you see if anything is nearby? I have a feeling we may have been followed, and I want to make sure it’s who I think it is.” Ruru nods and raises her ears as she scans the tree line with Serena standing to follow her gaze. Soon, Ruru points towards two smaller trees and Serena catches a glimpse of pale white skin, “Just as I thought…” Serena sighs in relief.

“Hey! You there!” Serena calls out to the figure, but receives no response, “Hmm… It’s me, from earlier… The girl from the building-- I’m sorry for scaring you earlier, it wasn’t my intent…” Serena steps closer to the trees slowly, being careful not to startle the girl, “You don’t have to worry about us! Ruru and I won’t hurt you… If that’s even possible.”

The girl peeks out from behind the tree once again, but only for a moment. Serena kneels again while keeping an eye on the gap between the saplings. She and Ruru are careful not to make any sudden movements that could potentially scare the sheepish girl away again. There’s another small peek that quickly vanishes.

“It’s alright, I promise I won’t try to grab you again,” Serena says in an assuring voice, tempting to coax the girl from her hiding spot. Serena holds out a hand towards the trees, “See? I just want to talk to you and introduce myself properly!” The girl pokes her head out again, making sure to look over both Serena and Ruru intently, “I know that new people and places can be scary. All too well, in fact, but everything will be fine,” Serena admits with a slight smile, “Are you able to talk? I didn’t even think about that… I heard you giggling back in Lumiose so I guess I just assumed you could.” The girl nods lightly and takes a step into the light-- She recoils at first but eventually takes a few steps closer to Serena.

“It’s like watching a little sheep test the waters,” Serena giggles at her comment and continues to wait for the girl to reach her. After a few minutes, the girl eventually builds up the courage to step over to Serena and place her hand in Serenas, but she recoils at the touch, “Hello there. You’re awfully shy,” Serena notes with another smile.

“H-Hello…” The girl quietly responds while holding her arms to her chest.

“Well, I think it’s only fair if I start,” Serena says as she stands up. The girl is a bit smaller than Serena but seems to be a bit older than her judging by her appearance, “My name is Serena. My mother and I recently moved to Vaniville Town, but I was quickly pushed onto this Gym Challenge I’m on,” Serena pets Ruru’s head, who immediately goes to fix her fur, “And this is Ruru, she was my first Pokémon at the start of my journey. She can be a little rowdy, but she’s usually well-mannered!” This comment seems to annoy Ruru who gives a glare to Serena, “What would your name be?”

“I… I’m Destiny…” The girl says after a moment of silence. She stares at the ground between the two.

“Destiny? That’s a cute name,” Serena tells the girl with a smile, “I haven’t heard a name like that in a while…” There’s a pause in the conversation before Serena speaks up again, “You know, you scared me quite a bit back in the city-- With the coming up behind me and saying, ‘No you’re no the one,’ thing… Not to mention stalking us through the swamp,” Serena says that last part with a bit of uncertainty about the whole ordeal as Destiny looks off to the side with a guilty look.

“Oh… I-I’m sorry…! I didn’t mean to, I was just… doing what I usually do… Well, for the first part at least…” Destiny says quietly while still keeping her eyes from meeting Serena’s.

“No no, it’s alright! Probably…” Serena assures her, “Though… What did you mean by that?”

“Oh, that was… Just to scare people away…” Destiny admits, “After what happened I’ve been avoiding people… Scared to find out what would happen if people found out about me…”

“Hmm? Found out about you?” Serena reiterates as a question, getting a slight nod out of Destiny.

“Because I’m…” Destiny’s voice trails off and she begins to tear up.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t think…” Serena’s voice follows suit as she tries to think of what to say. Instead, she just pats the girl's head, “Sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Serena tells her with another smile to which the girl nods once again, “Though, we’re nearly to the next town over… That’s pretty far from your little room. So why did you follow me all this way?”

“That was because… You were the first person to ever come back to the room after seeing me…” Destiny explains, “I was curious so I decided to follow for a bit, but I guess I was pretty bad at that… You kept hearing me…”

“Aha, yeah, maybe that’s true…” Serena agrees, “Is this the first time you’ve ever left that building?”

“Since it was built, yes…” Destiny answers.

“Since it was built? There were papers from 1996 in there… That building must’ve been in use for some time, too…” Serena recounts her findings in the old office room, “Well if you’d like, I can show you the way back!” The girl immediately shakes her head.

“I… I don’t want to go back… It’s so lonely there… I just mess around with the papers all day and chase people away…” Destiny responds with fear rising in her voice.

“Is that one of the reasons you followed me out here?” Serena asks the girl with a tilt of her head.  
“I-I guess… That and I was just interested in learning about you… Like I said, you were the first one to ever come back after I attempted to scare you away… Not to mention try to even interact with me...,” Destiny elucidates, “I don’t know what I thought would happen after you caught me… Uuu, I’m being such a nuisance-- I’m sorry, maybe I should g--”

“Woah Woah, calm down Destiny,” Serena cuts her off, “You’re not being a nuisance at all-- In fact, I was trying to find out more about you myself. Personally, I’ve never encountered a gh-- A… Person quite like you before. Plus, it’s nice to finally be able to talk to you after three encounters~” She adds with a smug grin.

“R-Really…?” Destiny finally looks up at Serena.

“Of course!” Serena answers and looks down at Ruru, “In fact…” She looks back to Destiny, “Instead of being lonely in that creepy old building forever, why not come with me on my journey?”

“E-Eh?” Destiny can only muster surprised gibberish as her face lights up and droops again, “I can go with you? E-Even though I’m a…”

“Hey, hey. Don’t worry about what you are, instead, worry about who you are,” Serena tells the sheepish ghost girl, “You seem like a nice person, and a potential good friend once you warm up to me, so I’d be happy to have you tag along!”

“I-I don’t know…” Destiny mumbles, “I would just get in the way of you and your friends…”

“Hm?” Serena thinks for a moment, “Well, I’m not always with them, anyways. I’m usually alone with my Pokémon when I’m not with them. Having that little bit of extra company would be nice-- No offense, Ruru.” Ruru simply shrugs, not seeming to care about the situation.

“Then… Please…” Destiny accepts, “Allow me to come along with you…”

“Aww, come on, no need to be so formal!” Serena teases, “Come on, we should head to the next town before it gets dark! I can show you around a bit based on what we find, too!”

“O-Okay!” Destiny nods and runs up next to Serena as she recalls Ruru and begins walking out of the clearing and towards Laverre City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the smaller chapters! But these two are very important story-wise as it marks the beginning of the main distinction from the original story of Pokémon X and Y!! Finally, we have the titular character and she's unusually late to the party!


	11. The Conte de Fée

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena finally meets the Lumiose City Ghost Girl formally in a small clearing and decides to allow the girl named Destiny to join on her journey. With her new friend in tow, they move onto Laverre city, where the site of Serena's next Gym Battle lies.

The new pair in Serena and Destiny reach Laverre City and the amount of people walking around instantly makes Destiny noticeably uneasy. Her attire is completely black and fairly outdated along with her messy hair. Serena turns to look her over.

“Maybe we should get you a more… Modern outfit,” Serena states plainly as she takes out her Town Map, “Oh! Conveniently, there’s a boutique near the Pokémon Center!” Serena nods triumphantly as she puts her map away, “Let’s go, then!”

“Boutique…?” Destiny hesitates before following Serena, “What’re those?”

“It’s a place you go to buy new clothes, simply put,” Serena explains as she slows down for Destiny, “I usually stop by every boutique to see what they have. I’m thinking this one may have something really cute, based on what I’m seeing everyone wearing.”

“I see… I don’t have any money for new clothes, though,” Destiny replies quietly.

“Ehh? Don’t worry about money, I can cover it,” Serena assures her, “I didn’t expect you to have money, anyway.”

“O-Oh! Thank you…” Destiny looks to the ground as she responds.

“Of course!” Serena smiles at the girl, “That must be it, there!” Serena motions to a building with a small sign hanging over the door showing a shirt, “Let’s go in,” Serena tells Destiny as she opens the door. Inside was an array of clothing much like Serena expected-- Ribbons, bows, frill, and bright colors fill what would be a large, empty room. Destiny looks on in amazement at the sight.

“There are so many choices here!” She exclaims as she begins examining the selection. Though, she seems attracted to the darker colors rather than the pastels that Serena takes interest in. Serena quickly realizes that she should teach Destiny how boutiques work before she causes some mayhem.

“See anything you like?” Serena asks Destiny as she approaches her with a pink blouse with white bows lining the front and a large bow on the back as well as a purple and white ruffled skirt. Destiny is startled and jumps back by the sudden approach.

“Oh! Serena!” Destiny exclaims after realizing who it was, “Um… I, uh… This dress looks cute!” Destiny picks up a dark blue dress with a black bow at the top and black ribbons holding the front together, despite them being more for decoration than necessity.

“Hmm, I guess the dark clothing isn’t just what you had, then,” Serena nods as she examines the dress, “Alright! Follow me and bring that with you.”

“Okay..!” Destiny does as she’s asked until the pair reach a door at the back of the boutique. Destiny gives Serena a confused look, “What’s this room for?”

“This is where you try on the clothes in private to make sure they fit you,” Serena explains, “You can go first, I’ll sit out here and wait.”

“I see… Thank you…” Destiny replies sheepishly and enters the room to change. After a few moments, she steps back out with the dress on, “D-Did I put it on right?”

“Yep! We’ll need to get ones that match your sizes, but that’s easy!” Serena answers with a thumbs up. Destiny nods and reenters the room before stepping back out in her original outfit. Serena then takes the room for herself and comes out a few moments later in her new outfit, which is much better fitted to her than Destiny’s was to the ghost girl due to experience.

“That outfit is pretty… Looks like something a noble used to wear,” Destiny states as she looks over Serena’s clothes.

“Thank you~ I think I’ll get this and help you with your dress,” Serena smiles once again as she changes back to her usual attire and steps out once again with all the new clothes in hand, “The cashier can help measure you and get you the right size, so take this dress to her and ask. I’ll pay for them beforehand and wait for you by the changing room.”

“Alright…” Destiny replies in a shy and somewhat worried tone.

“Don’t worry, she won’t find out about that,” Serena assures her, “The only indication is that you’re a bit cold, but that’s nothing to jump onto your case for.”

Destiny nods as the two walk over to the cashier, who gives them a friendly greeting. Serena pays for the outfits and asks the girl to help Destiny with her dress before returning to the changing room to wait in her new outfit. A few minutes later, Destiny returns with a red face and a replacement dress in her hands.

“Heh, I guess I didn’t really tell you what I meant by your sizes, did I?” Serena asks amusingly, “Sorry, sorry. Just try to remember those numbers she gave you and it won’t be an issue for a while… Or, ever, in your case? You don’t seem to really age properly…” Destiny nods and changes into her new dress. Now, with their new attire, they begin to walk around Laverre City where people noticeably shoot some glances at Destiny, despite her more modern outfit. Probably due to the contrast of her hair and pale skin.

“Wanna go somewhere a bit quieter, Destiny?” Serena asks suddenly, eyeing the people as they pass by, “I saw a café on the Town Map earlier, in Northern Laverre.”

“Yes, please… These glares make me uncomfortable…” Destiny admits, huddling a bit closer to Serena to try and hide from them.  
“I figured as much,” Serena replies as she takes her map out again and follows it to a small café situated behind an abnormally large tree in the center of Laverre City. Here, the onlookers are more interested in their food and conversations so the two girls take a seat outside in the sunlight. The waitress comes up and asks the two if they want anything to drink; Serena gets a complex coffee while Destiny simply gets water.

“I don’t even know what you just said…” Destiny sighs.

“Aha, I guess they didn’t have the kind of stuff we have when you were…” Serena cuts her giggling off abruptly and takes glances around, “Anyway… You know how you can hide from view?”

“Yes?” Destiny answers with a confused look.

“If there are a few people around and you start to feel shy, you can hide. Just stay close to me cause losing someone invisible sounds like a pain,” Serena continues with a snicker at her own comment.

“I didn’t think about that…” Destiny admits, “I will try to do that, thank you…”

“Of course! We wouldn’t want you to be upset on the journey I invited you onto,” Serena says with a smile covered by her hand as the drinks are delivered to the table. The rest of the café visit is relatively quiet as the two quickly drink their orders and stand up to leave after paying. Once out of sight of other people, Destiny hides and grabs hold of Serena’s arm. Serena nods and heads to where her map says the gym is, but she seems confused.

“Is something the matter?” Destiny asks whilst still hidden.

“Well… I can’t seem to find the gym… It says it's near the center of town, but all that's there is that tree and a creepy old house…” Serena sighs, “Usually gyms will have some sort of statues signifying the building…”

“Maybe that old house is the gym…? It looked like it was built into the tree like some sort of fairy tale…” Destiny suggests.

“Hmm... Supposed the gym leader here is a fairy type, so I guess it’s worth a shot,” Serena agrees with a nod before heading back towards the strange tree. Upon reaching it, the pair get a closer look at the structure. It looks just like an enormous dollhouse built into the side of the tree with a giant clock looming over the roof just beneath the branches. At a glance, the building looks like an abandoned house in the middle of town due to the moss, vines, and mushrooms sprouting all across the building’s exterior.

“Woah… We never had any buildings like this back then!” Destiny exclaims in amazement as she comes out of her hiding spot, luckily no one notices this.  
“I haven’t even seen a building like this before, it’s a strange style that happens to just fit in, doesn’t it?” Serena replies as she approaches the door, where she can now see a wooden gym sign lingering nearby. She pushes the door open and is met with a single room with nothing but two glowing pads in the opposite corners of the room.

“What are those things…?” Destiny asks quietly as they pass the man at the entrance to the gym.

“I’m not sure… But they seem to be warp pads of some kind,” Serena answers as she and Destiny step onto a plate and suddenly appear in a room heavily catered to tailoring clothes and accessories. Destiny looks around in awe at the technology and scenery of the building, “Looks like I was right. So, we just have to keep going through these warp pads until we eventually get to the end… Seems easy enough.”

Throughout the gym, Serena and Destiny find many different rooms: a bathroom, a library, a dining room, a living room, a vanity, and even a bedroom-- As if someone lives in this building. They also encounter numerous girls within the rooms, presumably gym trainers, all dressed in differing fancy outfits; they call themselves the Furisode Girls. One of them was an elegant woman in a blue kimono with a gradient, the second was a prettier girl in a pink and purple kimono with a flower design, the third was a pure girl with a white and black bow-laden kimono, and the last was a much more punky girl with a black and red kimono similar to that of the previous girl’s. Eventually, Serena and Destiny step on a warp pad next to a bed that takes them right to the gym leader. She dons a similar outfit to the Furisode Girls, a bright pink kimono with large fairy wing sleeves with yellow and black outlines. She also wears another bow in her hair shaped like smaller fairy wings and stands elegantly in front of the girls before doing a curtsey.

“Oh, if it isn’t a couple of young trainers…” She begins, “So you’ve flown all the way through my Gym, fluttering down to me on a fortunate wind.”

“Well, yes and no-- I’m the only trainer here, Destiny is just a friend of mine who’s coming with me on my journey,” Serena responds to politely correct the Gym Leader.

“I see… That’s not a problem at all. I’ll have one of the girls bring a seat for you if you’d like,” the Gym Leader responds with a smile to Destiny as one of the Furisode Girls comes through the warp pad with a chair, which she places to the side of the room before leaving.

“O-Oh! Thank you…” Destiny bows in thanks and quietly sits down in the chair to spectate.

“Now, I suppose you have earned yourself the right to a battle, as a reward for your efforts,” the Leader continues as she turns back to Serena, “I am Valerie, who leads this Fairy-type Gym. I hope your visit will prove entertaining to you both. The elusive Fairy types may appear frail as a breeze and delicate as a bloom, but they are strong. Let us begin… Show them your grace, Mawile!” She tosses out a Poké Ball from which emerges a small, bipedal yellow and gray Pokémon with a large horn taking the form of an equally large second jaw. The Pokémon faces this horn toward its foe.

“A Mawile, huh? Alright, let’s go with you, Larry!” Serena calls out as she throws a Poké Ball much more dramatically to reveal her ever-shining red Clawitzer, who immediately prepares to attack, “Use Aura Sphere!” Larry charges light blue energy in his claw before suddenly snapping it shut and launching a quick-moving orb at the opponent.

“Mawile, dodge it and use Play Rough,” Valerie responds calmly. Her Pokémon waits for the orb to get close enough before snapping it’s large jaw on the orb, destroying it instantaneously; then, the opponent runs at Larry and begins roughhousing violently with the lobster Pokémon before sending it flying into the air.

“Eh?! Those teeth are no joke… Watch out for them, Larry!” Serena warns who Pokémon after he lands relatively unscathed by the impact, “Hit back with a Water Pulse!” Larry now collects water in his claw that shoots out in a ring that surrounds Mawile before closing in on it. The opponent shrugs the hit off, however.

“Six gyms already, hmm? The stakes are getting high, you know,” Valerie half-teases Serena, “Mawile use Crunch!” Valerie’s Mawile jumps to Larry and bites down on his body, “Don’t let go, Mawile, show them the power of fairies.”

“Urgh… Larry grab that horn!” Serena commands her Pokémon, who uses his large claw to snap down on the large jaw mounted on the back of the Pokémon’s head, “Now throw it and use Aura Sphere!” Larry does as he’s told and flings the Pokémon into the air before generating another orb of energy and firing it at the falling Mawile, the Mawile gets hit and sent back to Valerie’s side of the battlefield.

“Impressive tactics, but they won’t be enough,” Valerie claims as she suddenly recalls her Pokémon, “Mawile, return for now.”

“Eh? Recalling your Pokémon..?” Serena asks in confusion.

“Of course, I can’t let my dear Mawile get beaten up so quickly,” Valerie responds, “Let’s go, Mr. Mime!” Out of her next Pokémon comes a creepily humanoid mime Pokémon, constantly acting as if it’s in a box, “Use Psychic!” The Mr. Mime waves his arms wildly before picking up Larry with magical power and throwing him back to the ground to which he faints immediately.

“Larry--!” Serena calls out before sighing and recalling the fainted Pokémon, “Alright, return… Let’s fight fire with fire, go Citrus!” Out of her next Poké Ball comes a small nymph Pokémon carrying an orange flower like a parasol, “Use Petal Blizzard!” Citrus spins around and conjures petals that it hurls towards Mr. Mime, who is repeatedly assaulted by the dancing petals.

“Use Reflect,” Valerie retorts in her usual demeanor, which is almost unsettling. Her Pokémon waves its arms and creates a reflective barrier that causes the petals to disperse wildly, “Now, use Dazzling Gleam,” she continues as her Pokémon once again flails his limbs and emits a bright light through his body that causes Citrus to use her flower to shield herself from the blinding glare.

“Use Magical Leaf!” Serena directs whilst shielding her own eyes from the light. Citrus uses her position to create leaves made from magic that lock onto Mr. Mime and pelt it continuously, causing the light to fade, “Now, use Fairy Wind!” Citrus now twirls her flower to create sparkling dust that blows Mr. Mime back and shatters his barrier.

“My my, using our own dazzling light against us… You are very clever, young Trainer,” Valerie admits, “Now, Mr. Mime, use Psychic!” Her Mr. Mime once again flails his arms to pick up Citrus and launch her into the air before sending her back down.

“Citrus! Use Fairy Wind and spin!” Serena commands. Her Pokémon does so and creates a softening gust that stops her from hitting the ground that she then sends at Mr. Mime, picking him up and tossing him around before dropping him to the ground where he faints.

“My my, it seems you already know the power of Fairy-type Pokémon,” Valerie says with a giggle as she covers her mouth with her sleeve before recalling her Pokémon, “You did well, Mr. Mime… It’s your turn, Sylveon!” Next up was a white, pink, and blue fox-like Pokémon covered in bows and ribbons, “Use Moonblast!” Her Pokémon looks to the rising moon and draws power from it before blasting it at Citrus, who has little time to react and is blasted back by it, knocking her out instantly.

“This one looks tough…” Serena says under her breath as she recalls her Pokémon, “Alright Ruru, it’s your turn!” Next for Serena was her starter in Ruru, a white and blue Meowstic with well-kept fur, “Use Psychic!” Ruru raises her ears and picks up the opposing Pokémon, much like Mr. Mime had done previously, and throws Sylveon to the ground. Sylveon, however, stands up quickly and shakes its fur.

“Sylveon and I have been friends for years, it’ll take a lot more than that to break us down,” Valerie taunts with a slight smirk, “Use Dazzling Gleam!” Sylveon waves its ribbons wildly, creating a bright light that flashes towards Ruru and Serena.

“Ruru use Light Screen!” Serena retorts as her Pokémon once again raises her ears and creates a shining barrier around herself that refracts the lights into numerous directions, “Perfect! Now use Disarming Voice!” Ruru now lets out an alarming cry that startles the opposing Pokémon and causes the light to desist.

“This battle just keeps getting better~ Too bad your friend seems a bit confused more than anything,” Valerie says with another giggle as she looks over to Destiny.

“Ahh… Right… I’ll explain later, alright?” Serena promises with a bow of apology to which Destiny nods.

“Now, Sylveon, use Quick Attack!” Valerie calls out to her Pokémon who begins drawing in energy and charging down Ruru.

“Quickly, use Psychic!” Serena retaliates. Ruru swiftly raises her ears and catches Sylveon in her magic and throws it across the battlefield where it faints.

“Mystifying…” Valerie says simply as she recalls her Pokémon, “But this battle has only just begun~ Let’s show them true power, Mawile!” Valerie now returns Mawile to the battle and raises her hand to a necklace she wears, “Let’s show this Trainer how huge your power can be!” Suddenly, Mawile’s body takes on a glow as another horn sprouts from her head, and both double in size, creating two enormous jaws that seem deadly to be caught in.

“It Mega Evolved?!” Serena exclaims in shock as Destiny takes heavy interest, “Ruru, be careful!”

“Being careful won’t protect you from Mawile’s Mega Evolution,” Valerie claims, “Mawile use Crunch!” Mawile swiftly jumps to Ruru and bites down on her, shattering her light screen before throwing her into a nearby wall, knocking her out on impact.

“I never expected a Gym Leader to use Mega Evolution…” Serena sighs as she recalls Ruru, “Well, then the best solution to this is Reign!” Serena throws out her fourth Pokémon in Reign, her large fossil Pokémon, before placing a hand on her bracelet, “Reign, let’s do it! Mega Evolve!” She raises her bracelet as her Aerodactyl sprouts jagged stones all across his body, “Use Fly!” Reign begins to fly up into the air.

“Grab onto it with Crunch!” Valerie commands. Her Mawile jumps up to the rising Reign and chomps down onto his leg.

“Alright, Reign! This is perfect! Throw the Mawile to the ground and use Rock Tomb before finishing your Fly!” Serena instructs. Reign does just that and Mawile falls to the ground with a thud before being barraged with large boulders, one of which lands on one of its jaws. Then, Reign crashes down into Mawile before flying back to Serena; Mawile, though, remains standing.

“Mawile, throw that boulder onto that Aerodactyl and use Iron Head,” Valerie responds calmly to the situation. Her Mawile uses its second horn to pick up and throw the boulder into the air before preparing its horns for a hard-as-steel headbutt.

“Reign dodge that boulder!” Serena calls out and Reign flies around it; however, he flies right into the path of Mawile and takes a direct Iron Head that sends him to the ground.

“Finish it off with Play Rough!” Valerie directs her Mawile who runs up to the weakened Reign and begins roughhousing with him before throwing him into the ground where he faints.

“This Mawile is scarier than anything I’ve faced before…” Serena groans and recalls Reign, who reverted to his regular form, “Alright Seri! Let’s finish this!” Serena now throws out a black dog Pokémon covered in bones, “Use Feint Attack!” Seri approaches a confused Mawile slowly before suddenly biting it once she’s close enough and tossing her.

“You’re still in this, Mawile, use Play Rough!” Valerie tells her Pokémon, who runs at the opposing Houndoom and gets ready to attack.

“Now, Seri, use Fire Fang!” Serena commands. Upon seeing Seri’s fangs ignite into a blaze, Mawile tries to back off but it’s too late and it takes a bite to the body that erupts into flames. When the flames dissipate, Mawile faints onto the ground while returning to its normal form.

“I hope the sun is shining tomorrow…” Valerie begins as she recalls her Pokémon, “That would be enough reason to smile, right Mawile?” She then looks at Serena, “Yes… That was a fine battle. I shall reward you for this great victory. This is the Fairy Badge. It is yours now,” she says as she gives Serena the badge and a TM for Dazzling Gleam.

“I did it!” Serena exclaims as she examines the ornate badge. Destiny soon walks up to do the same.

“Its beauty is captivating, is it not?” Valerie asks despite knowing the answer. Both girls nod in unison, “My designs are said to be rather mystifying. Do you agree with that?”

“I would say so, your Gym itself is definitely the most unique one I’ve seen so far,” Serena replies after putting the padge in her case.

“I’ve always wanted to be a Pokémon, you see. That desire is my inspiration and what I try to achieve by designing,” Valerie explains, “And yet… the only time I feel I am truly one with Pokémon is when we are embroiled in desperate battle. I wonder why that is…” Serena and Destiny both try to think of how to respond before Valerie continues, “Hmm… Could it be-- Never mind. It is nothing, kind travelers. The warp pad behind me will bring you straight to the exit.”

“I see… Thank you..?” Serena replies politely as she and Destiny exchange confused glances. Both of them leave the Gym before anything else could happen.

“So… What exactly was all that, Serena?” Destiny asks upon exiting the dollhouse.

“Ah, right. That was a Gym Battle. Trainers from all over Kalos take on the Pokémon Gyms with their Pokémon so they can have a chance to challenge the Champion-- The strongest trainer in Kalos,” Serena briefly explains, “With eight badges, I too can have that chance to challenge them.”

“The champion..? Who are they?” Destiny inquires, but Serena doesn’t seem to know and simply shrugs.

“I guess we’ll have to find that out together, huh?” Serena replies with a smile, “Come on, it’s getting late. Let’s find a place to stay for the night.”

“Okay..!” Destiny agrees with a slight smile that quickly fades before following Serena to a nearby hotel where both spend the night.


	12. The Usine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a makeover with Destiny, Serena makes her way to the Laverre City gym where she challenges and narrowly defeats the Gym Leader, Valerie. After a quick night's rest, Serena and Destiny are approached by Shauna. Where will their adventure lead them now?

The next morning, the two girls leave the hotel and begin to walk around for a while before heading to the next town. That is, however, until Serena spots a familiar face running towards her-- Two of them, actually.

“Sera! ♪” Shauna says as she approaches with Trevor lagging a bit behind. Serena feels Destiny duck behind her due to the sudden chill. Shauna stops abruptly in front of Serena, “Hmm? Wasn’t someone with you just a moment ago?” She asks.

“Eh?” Serena stammers for words as she turns around inconspicuously to see if Destiny had hidden herself, “Well, no, I don’t think so…” She tries to sound truthful, but her words are drawn out.

“I see, must’ve been someone passing by, then,” Shauna shrugs, “Know what? We’re going to go tour the Poké Ball Factory! Come with us! ♪”

“I’m interested in Poké Balls because they’re used to catch Pokémon!” Trevor chimes in after finally catching up, “To put it another way, I’m utterly fascinated by them!”

“The Poké Ball Factory, hmm?” Serena responds, a bit amused by Trevor’s unusual enthusiasm, “Sure, why not? We-- I didn’t have too many plans at the moment, anyway.”

“Alright! ♪” Shauna exclaims. Luckily, neither Shauna nor Trevor picked up on Serena’s slip of the tongue, “The factory is this way! We’ll meet you there!” Then, both run off to the northernmost part of town.

“Sorry, Destiny,” Serena sighs half-heartedly, “Shauna can be really rambunctious at times. If you’re too shy, you’re welcome to stay hidden-- Just try to stick with me, okay?”

“Alright…” Destiny responds sheepishly from behind. Now they, too, head to the Poké Ball Factory. It’s a short walk from where they were spotted since they had been walking past the gym at the time. However, when they get there they see Shauna and Trevor standing at the entrance gate. Shauna seems to be pouting and Trevor seems to be upset as well.

“He’ll let us in. You’ll see! I’ll go talk to him again!” Shauna exclaims as Serena approaches before darting up the path again.

“Shauna! Wait!” Trevor calls out to her, but it’s too late.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Serena asks Trevor, who’s slightly startled by the sudden question and quickly turns to Serena.

“Some Team Flare guy is standing at the entrance,” Trevor explains, “He won’t let us in,” Trevor then runs after Shauna as Calem and Tierno approach, too.

“Did Shaunee and Trevs go running off just now? What’s the deal?” Tierno asks as they reach Serena, who now has a slightly annoyed look on her face-- That is until she feels Destiny clutching at her shirt, in which she subtly reaches back behind her bag to try and comfort her somewhat, knowing the amount of new faces can be unnerving.

“We were supposed to meet here. Did something happen?” Calem follows up.

“Apparently Team Flare is--” Serena starts to explain before the sound of Shauna shouting cuts her off. All three of them turn to see Shauna and Trevor running past, closely followed by a Team Flare Grunt.

“Shaunee, wait!” Trevor calls out to her before running after them. Calem turns to Serena as she watches Tierno run off, but she knows there’s more where that came from and stays.

“Team Flare?” Calem responds, anger rising in his voice. Serena turns back to him with a sigh and a nod. Calem silently facepalms, “There must be something going on inside. Let’s check it out while that guard is gone!”

“Right!” Serena agrees as they both run up the path and enter the factory. Serena makes sure that Destiny stays close to her to avoid getting separated. They’re immediately spotted as they enter by a female grunt.

“Can’t that idiot outside even handle guard duty?” She mutters angrily under her breath, “So sorry, but we’re not offering tours right now.”

“That red suit means you’re a member of Team Flare, right?” Calem asks rhetorically, “Did you have to take a part-time job at the Poké Ball Factory to pay for that ugly suit?” The grunt seems extremely offended at the comment.

“What?!” The grunt exclaims, “How dare you mock Team Flare! Mightyena, get them!” Calem turns to Serena as he grabs a Poké Ball.

“Leave this to me! You go ahead!” Calem tells her, “Let’s get her, Meowstic!” Serena nods and runs off as Calem begins a battle with the grunt. Serena’s way up the stairs is blocked, so she uses the conveyor belts to get around.

“Who are they, Serena?” Destiny asks, still not showing herself.

“They’re a group of idiots named Team Flare,” Serena explains, “They’ve been causing mischief across Kalos recently, but I’m not sure what their goal is. Whatever it is, we have to stop them.”

“So… They’re the bad guys?” Destiny replies quietly.

“Exactly. Since you don’t have any Pokémon, I’d recommend keeping your distance. I can handle them,” Shauna says with a nod as she takes out grunts blocking her way.

“What could they want with a place like this…?” Destiny asks, presumably looking around at her surroundings.

“I’m not sure, but I’m sure it has to do with catching a lot of Pokémon for whatever awful plan they have going on,” Serena responds. Eventually, the pair enter one of the buildings on the walkways where a bunch of workers are hiding out. They confirm Serena’s suspicion and help her find a way to the second building, where the admins of the operation supposedly are with the boss. As she makes her way to the building, Calem runs up after her once finishing his battle.

“The important ones are in here, I’m assuming?” He asks as they reach the second building.

“Supposedly,” Serena tells him, “Be quiet though.”

“Right,” he responds as they slowly push open the door and enter the room where three women stand. Two looking much more important than the other.

“Come now. Work for Team Flare!” The green-haired woman tells the man, presumably the boss of the factory, “If you’d just help out, we wouldn’t have to carry all these Poké Balls by ourselves.”

“Or, with a contribution of just ₽5,000,000, you could become a member of Team Flare,” the purple-haired woman adds., “It’s a no-brainer!”

“What in the world are you Team Flare fools thinking?!” The man exclaims, “I’ll never forgive any group that tries to take all the Poké Balls for itself!”

“Forget it. Quit wasting your time with this person,” the green-haired woman says as she turns to the red-haired woman wearing a similar outfit to the admin in the Power Plant.

“I agree,” the admin responds, “There’s no one we can use here. Let’s blow this place to smithereens,” she adds before noticing Serena and Calem, “Well well well, what do we have here? Some intruders?” The other two women turn to look as well.

“You’re one to talk!” The man shouts from behind, “You two! Please! Help me!”

“My oh my. Getting a little desperate, are we, Mr. Company President?” The admin taunts, “Well. I’ll leave the scientists to extinguish your little glimmer of hope,” she says with a look to both other women who nod.

“Falling back when more than one Trainer approaches?” The purple-haired woman asks, “So lame! That’s just embarrassing from an admin! Still, no worries. We’re on it! This pair of scientists will clean up.”

“Let’s take them on two versus two,” the green-haired woman chimes in, “We must improve our chances of winning. I, Bryony, and my partner-in-crime, Celosia, will make quick work of you both.”

“Are you ready to fight alongside me, neighbor,” Calem asks with a glance to Serena, who’s already reaching for a Poké Ball.

“When it comes to Team Flare, there’s no waiting,” Serena replies dryly.

“Let’s get ‘em!” Calem exclaims, “Go, Meowstic!” Calem shouts as he calls out his blue and white cat Pokémon with ruffled fur.

“Let’s show these crooks what they’re up against! Come on out, Ruru!” Serena continues as she calls out her own Meowstic with a swapped color palette and much more well-kept fur.

“Oh, you two make this seem too easy,” Celosia smirks, “Let’s go, Manectric!”

“You too, Liepard!” Bryony chimes in. Out of their Poké Balls emerge a blue and yellow dog-like Pokémon and a purple and yellow leopard-like cat Pokémon, “Liepard use Taunt!” The Liepard makes a taunting glare at the pair of Meowstics, making them ready to attack immediately.

“Manectric use Charge!” Celosia commands her Pokémon, who begins taking in electrical power from the surrounding area.

“Ruru use Dazzling Gleam!” Serena calls out. Ruru raises her ears and summons a bright light that blinds the opposing Pokémon whilst doing damage.

“Meowstic use Fake Out on Manectric!” Calem continues. His Pokémon runs into the light where the Manectric had stood and disappears for a moment before returning, the sound of electricity stopping during this time. The light fades and the Liepard takes much longer to recover.

“Urgh! Liepard use Night Slash on that white one!” An angered Bryony retorts as her Pokémon runs up to Ruru and swipes at her with claws concealed in darkness, sending her back.

“Manectric use Spark on the blue one!” Celosia continues the assault as her Manectric surrounds itself with electricity and rushes down Calem’s Meowstic.

“Meowstic use Reflect!” Calem quickly commands his Pokémon, who puts up a barrier in front of itself that the Manectric runs into, sending it back from the impact but shattering the barrier.

“Ruru use Psychic on Manectric!” Serena directs Ruru, who raises her ears once more and picks up the opposing Manectric with her psychic abilities before throwing Manectric into Liepard.

“Meowstic use Disarming Voice!” Calem continues. His Meowstic raises its own ears and lets out an alarming cry that hits both of the opposing Pokémon, disorienting them momentarily.

“Hey! Liepard shake it off and use Slash on the white one!” Bryony shouts. Her Pokémon struggles to get up before running at Ruru and swiping at her with exposed claws. Ruru jumps back.

“Manectric follow that up with Thunder Fang!” Celosia commands. Her Pokémon also struggles to get to its feet before baring its electrified fangs and running at Ruru.

“Meowstic use Psychic on that Manectric!” Calem responds. His Meowstic lifts the charging Manectric to the air and throws it back to the ground where it faints.

“Huh?!” Celosia exclaims as she recalls her Pokémon, “Ugh! Finish these brats, Bryony!”

“Ruru use Dazzling Gleam one more time!” Serena cuts in before Bryony can call out her next move. Ruru once again summons a bright light, this time directly into Liepard’s face, Once the light fades, Liepard can be seen on the ground, unable to fight any longer.

“No way!” Bryony shouts, “Wow, we are lame.”

“Probability is just probability, after all… Absolutes do not exist,” Celosia mumbles as Bryony recalls her Pokémon, “So lame! What a shame! We got beat!”

“Is this some sort of play now?” Serena taunts the scientists.

“Enough already!” The admin from behind suddenly shouts, “We’ve already stolen the Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls. Let’s call it good and leave!” Both scientists nod and all three make a hasty retreat. The Company President then approaches the Trainers.

“You saved us! Thank you so much!” He exclaims with a bow of appreciation, “You’re astounding Pokémon Trainers for being so young. Very well, then. I want to show my appreciation. Take these, a master ball and a big nugget, for both of you!” He then hands Serena and Calem a strange purple and pink Poké Ball marked with a white ‘M’ at the front.

“What is this?” Serena asks, “I’ve never seen a Poké Ball like this…”

“It’s a Poké Ball that will never fail to catch whatever Pokémon it is used on!” The Company President explains, “They’re quite rare, but I just have a feeling you two will put them to great use. You’re different from the Team Flare people.”  
“Thank you very much, sir,” Serena and Calem reply in unison.

“Still… That blasted Team Flare,” the Company President sighs, “What were they planning to accomplish by taking all the Poké Balls for themselves..?”

“I’m not sure,” Calem replies before turning to Serena, “It might be worth looking into it thoroughly if something comes up with them again.”

“I’d prefer to do it now, but with no way of knowing where they’re going, I guess it’s all we can do…” Serena sighs as both leave the building and walk down to the entrance of the factory, where Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor stand.

“Hey, Sera!” Shauna waves slightly as they approach, “Do you think it’s okay to go have a look around now?”

“I’m afraid not,” Calem tells her, “It’s not the time for that now. They still have to clean up after Team Flare.”

“Team Flare? Those were those weird people in the red suits, weren’t they?” Shauna sighs.

“They took all the Poké Balls by force? But they’re for everybody to use!” Tierno chimes in with another sigh.

“How awful…” Trevor agrees with one final sigh, “It seems like it would be best for us three not to get involved with those guys.”

“You’re right, Trevs,” Tierno nods as he turns to Trevor, “Team Flare sure is terrible. What should we do now? According to the Town Map, Dendemille Town is next...” Then they both leave.

“Sera! You and Calem are really awesome!” Shauna exclaims, “You’re way stronger than those bad guys! Still, try not to do anything crazy, okay? See yaaa! ♪” She then follows Tierno and Trevor.

“Thanks,” Calem says as he turns to Serena.

“Hm? What for?” Serena asks with a tilt of her head.

“Everyone’s okay, thanks to you,” Calem tells her.

“Well, you helped, too!” Serena reminds him.

“Sure… But if I keep relying on you like that, I won’t grow during my journey,” Calem explains before walking off. Once he’s out of sight, Destiny reappears and walks up beside Serena.

“He doesn’t realize that he’s already grown a lot,” Serena mutters with a slight shake of her head before turning to Destiny with a smile, “I guess we should get going too, huh?” Destiny nods quietly, not sure of what to say after the previous events.

“Are we going to Dendemille Town, then..?” She finally asks as she and Serena exit the building.

“Well, that’s the next town over, so I don’t see why not,” Serena responds before her Holo Caster receives a Holo Clip. She views it and sees a news reporter pop up.

“We’re bringing you this special bulletin,” the woman begins, “The Poké Ball Factory in Laverre City has been attacked. The identities of those involved are unknown. However, this is not expected to have any effects on the sales of Poké Balls…” Then, the clip ends.

“Well… That got around quickly. But, good to hear that Poké Balls won’t get any more expensive,” Serena nods at her victory, “Let’s go then, Destiny. Route 15 is this way!” With that, the girls make their way to the gate of Route 15.


	13. The Légende

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a quick night's rest in Laverre City, Serena and Destiny are approached by Shauna and Trevor who invites Serena to the Poké Ball Factory whilst Destiny is hidden. While at the factory, though, Serena finds Team Flare once again and, with the help of Calem, defeats the admins and saves the workers. After that, Serena and Destiny head towards Dendemille. What will they find along the way?

Upon reaching Route 15, Serena and Destiny immediately take note of all the fallen leaves on the route. It looks like the middle of Fall, which was weird since Laverre City didn’t have any fall leaves on the ground. Serena runs up to a pile of leaves and runs through them, causing them to go flying.

“This is so pretty!” Serena exclaims as Destiny catches up with her.

“I haven’t seen anything like this in forever…” Destiny says as she looks around and attempts to kick up some leaves.

“Ah… Yeah, I can’t imagine how different Lumiose City looked back then-- If it even existed at that time. There’s basically no trees there now outside of the medians,” Serena sighs, “But hey! There’s no time like the present to see the world, right?”

“Right,” Destiny nods in agreement as she kicks up her own pile of leaves.

“Well, we shouldn’t get distracted by the leaves-- We’ll be here all week!” Serena giggles as she also kicks up another swirl of fallen leaves. Then, they both head over a bridge, where Serena gets yet another Holo Clip. This time it’s from Lysandre, who wastes no time with introductions.

“According to Professor Sycamore’s research, Mega Evolution releases all of a Pokémon’s hidden energy at once,” he begins bluntly, “The Pokémon then exhibits a level of power it could not attain through ordinary Evolution. What meaning can we draw from this? Do all people and Pokémon have such potential, or is it hidden within a chosen few?” Then the Holo Clip ends.

“Eh…?” Serena lowers her Holo Caster in confusion, “What was that all about…?”

“I don’t know…” Destiny responds, despite not needing to, “But that man looks shady…”

“Hmm… Lysandre?” Serena asks, “I guess he can give off that aura. I don’t know, though, why would he help a ton of people, only to take from them?”

“To gain trust, maybe…” Destiny replies.

“I suppose that could be the case,” Serena agrees with a nod, “But it’s not fair to jump the gun like that.”

“O-Oh! You’re right, sorry…” Destiny immediately looks at the ground in embarrassment.

“Ehh? Don’t be sorry!” Serena turns to try and cheer her up, “I’m sure he’d understand, anyway!” Destiny simply nods. Soon enough, after several trainer battles and wild Pokémon encounters, the pair reach the end of Route 15 where the path splits between Dendemille Town and Route 16, “Hey, Destiny. Let’s check out Route 16 first!”

“Oh, sure…!” Destiny turns abruptly to keep up with Serena as she makes her way down Route 16. They quickly come across the ruins of a large building, “These ruins look pretty…”

“Do they?” Serena asks as she examines them, “They look like regular ruins to me…”

“C-Can we explore them for a bit?” Destiny asks sheepishly.

“Hmm… I don’t see why not!” Serena replies as she immediately heads down some exposed stairs into a dark basement. In the basement there’s little more than punks and trash cans.

“Oh, Serena!” Destiny suddenly calls out, “This trash can is shaking!”

“Is it? I can’t really see down here…” Serena squints her eyes to try and spot the can Destiny is pointing to. Destiny, however, runs up to it and opens it to see what’s inside. That’s when a Pokémon suddenly jumps out at her.

“Wah!!” Destiny stumbles backward as a Zigzagoon lands next to the trash can before looking at Destiny and deciding to run off. This exchange elicits some laughter from Serena.

“A-Are you okay?” Serena asks through her giggles.

“Y-Yeah… I-It’s not funny…” Destiny audibly pouts as she gets back to her feet.

“It was a little funny,” Serena says, “Try to be a bit more careful, yeah?”

“Hmm… Fine…” Destiny sighs and both girls continue through the Lost Hotel. Eventually, the pair come across the ruins of a large, lavish room near the back end of the hotel.

“Ohh~ This room looks important,” Serena states as she looks around, “Fit for a queen!”

“Well… It might’ve been…” Destiny corrects quietly.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Serena nods, “I wouldn’t wanna sleep in here nowadays. I’d probably get sick from the mold.”

“Mold used to be a huge problem back when I was…” Destiny cuts off her explanation suddenly.

“Ah, yeah-- I can imagine. We as a species took a while to take hygiene and health into huge consideration…” Serena sighs, “Though, we still do get plagues and such-- Just super rarely and usually, they aren’t that bad… Unless some people make it that way.”

“I see…” Destiny nods as she listens, “Sounds nice… N-Not the getting sick part-- I mean!”

“Hehe, calm down,” Serena pats Destiny on the head, “I got it, alright?”  
“Right…” Destiny responds quietly as she accepts the head pats.

“Oho! Look at this!” Serena exclaims and suddenly runs over to a rotting table with an equally rotted book sitting atop it.

“It’s a book?” Destiny responds as she approaches.

“Old books are always interesting,” Serena says as she begins flipping through the pages, “I wonder if this one has any magic spells!” Serena keeps flipping until she comes across a picture of a large, crystalline flower-- Well, blueprints for one. The next page depicts the flower shooting a large laser with a Floette holding a strange flower drawn nearby.

“What is that thing…?” Destiny tilts her head, “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I... Don’t know,” Serena replies honestly, “Looks like a sort of weapon, but also a tool to revive this Floette…?” Serena examines the pages, but they’re too rotted to be legible, “I wonder where someone would build such a thing… Or why they would, for that matter.”

“Reminds me of the king back when I was alive…” Destiny states, “He had a Floette that died during the war so he tried everything to bring it back to life…”

“Oh! I’ve heard that story!” Serena exclaims, “The king built a weapon that wiped out tons of Pokémon and people…! Actually, that’s a pretty dark story…”

“I believe he was working on something like that, but my family was too poor to hear the news of the time,” Destiny explains, “I don’t know if he ever completed it since…”

“Strange…” Serena nods, “You’d think it’d be a landmark or something if it was created… But I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Then I guess whatever it was never finished…” Destiny says in agreement.

“Well, we-- Well, I should get going,” Serena says, “I shouldn’t stay in a place like this for long.”

“Right…” Destiny nods and follows Serena out of the Lost Hotel after closing the book, returning it to the state she had found it. Soon, the pair once again reach the gate to Dendemille Town and head through. The sudden chill immediately sends Serena into shivers, but Destiny seems unaffected by the cold, unsurprisingly.

“Brr… Why is it so much colder here than on the Route just past that gate?!” Serena exclaims. Destiny is about to respond, but someone calls out to Serena from behind, frightening Destiny into hiding. Serena turns to see Professor Sycamore and Dexio walking up.

“Why hello, Serena!” Professor Sycamore calls out as he reaches her.

“How have you been?” Dexio asks shortly after.

“Oh, hi Professor,” Serena waves as they reach her, “I’ve been well, thank you.”

“How’s your journey going?” The Professor responds, “Find anything out about that ghost girl?” 

“Eh? W-Well… No…?” Serena stammers over her words, a bit of red over her face, “I don’t think so, at least…” She adds on with a shiver as Destiny’s freezing aura clings to her back.

“I see, well that’s too bad,” Professor Sycamore nods, “When rumors and legends like that turn out to be true, it can be quite interesting!” He seems to think for a bit, “When I was younger, I visited many different regions as well. I met many kinds of Pokémon and noticed how each place has its own distinct flavors and myths.”

“Explored different regions, huh…?” Serena repeats under her breath, which comes out as a white mist due to the cold.

“So, I really came to enjoy trying new foods and reading about legends as I traveled,” The Professor continues, “Because of my adventures, I’m an expert on the cafés and myths all over Kalos, as well!”

“Um… Professor…” Dexio cuts in as he turns to Professor Sycamore.

“Come now, Dexio. I’m going somewhere with this,” The Professor responds and turns back to Serena, “Do you remember the Pokémon Lysandre mentioned in that café?”

“Hmm… I remember that he alluded to a Pokémon,” Serena replies as she thinks back to the story, little of which she remembers due to being in a hurry.

“Indeed! Lysandre was referring to one of Kalos’s most important Pokémon! This Legendary Pokémon is called…” The Professor adds a dramatic pause for effect, “Xerneas!”

“Xerneas?” Serena echos, “I can’t say I’ve heard of it before…”

“According to material I’ve read, those who saw it were so overwhelmed by its power, they were only able to say that this Pokémon resembled the letter X,” The Professor explains, the description confuses Serena.

“Of all things to relate it to, they picked a letter…?” Serena looks a bit skeptical about the idea.

“Apparently, this Pokémon can control energy,” The Professor continues, “It gives life energy to plants and Pokémon, and makes them full of vitality again.”

“Where do you think a Pokémon that amazing could be now?” Dexio asks in response.

“When Kalos’s Legendary Pokémon loses all of its vitality, it goes to sleep in a secret place,” The Professor answers, “I don’t have a clue where it could be. The writings that mention it are also around three thousand years old, so they aren’t much help.”

“It would be absolutely outstanding if you found it, Serena,” Dexio nods as he turns to her, “Maybe I’ll look into the legend a little bit. If I find something, I’ll let you know!”

“Ah ha ha! Oh, it would be a thrill if you found it, indeed!” The Professor chimes in, “But your journey is yours and your Pokémon’s alone. I want you to enjoy yourself and do whatever you’d like!”

“Right!” Serena nods with a smile as they turn to walk off, allowing Destiny to reappear.

“I’ve heard of Xerneas before,” Destiny says as she walks next to Serena, “Very little, though... And, that man is right… Xerneas is supposedly a large deer Pokémon whose silhouette resembled and X while looking at it head-on.”

“Interesting…” Serena nods as she thinks for a moment, “The ability to control energy and give life is strange. If people around your time were talking about it, then I wonder if that has something to do with why you’re still around… Seeing as you’re the first human *spirit* I’ve seen or even heard of.”

“I don’t know…” Destiny replies honestly, “I’m not really sure what happened… It’s like one day I just… Woke up like this.”

“Eugh… That’s like a living nightmare…” Serena groans, “I’m sorry for whatever happened to you…”

“D-Don’t be..!” Destiny tells Serena, a bit startled, “I-It’s not like it’s your fault or anything…”

“I know, I know,” Serena assures her, “But it’s only natural to feel bad for someone when they go through something awful like that, isn’t it?”

“I-- I guess so... “ Destiny replies quietly, “Back then, there wasn’t much of that outside of doctors and servants…”

“Geez…” Serena sighs, “I guess our quality of life really has gotten much better than I thought…” As the girls are about to start walking again, another voice calls out to Serena, causing Destiny to once again disappear. This time, it’s Trevor.

“Hi, Sera!” Trevor exclaims as he runs up to her before looking around, “Hmm… I could’ve sworn I saw you talking to someone…”

“Oh? I was talking to the Professor just a few moments ago,” Serena tells him.

“Strange…” Trevor shrugs, “Um… Is the Professor gone already, then? I was hoping to have him have a look at my Pokédex in person.”

“I’m not sure, to be honest… He just walked off down the road,” Serena replies.

“Oh well, I can still get my Pokédex evaluated at the Pokémon Center’s PC…” Trevor sighs, “Anyway, I’m heading off to go look for Pokémon in the Frost Cavern and fill up more of my Pokédex! You should come, too!” Trevor then runs off toward the large windmill at the northernmost part of town.

“Frost Cavern, hmm…?” Serena repeats as he leaves and Destiny reappears, “Sounds interesting… Though, I feel like we’ve just gone through all the seasons within four different areas… Would you like to go, Destiny?”

“I don’t mind…” Destiny answers with a nod.

“Well, then, it’s settled!” Serena exclaims and takes hold of Destiny’s wrist, causing her to blush slightly, “Let’s go, then!” Serena then takes her in the same direction Trevor went.


	14. The Lys Gelé

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events in Laverre City, Serena and Destiny take to Route 15-- A path covered in fall leaves. Here, they find the ruins of a hotel, which they promptly explore before making their way towards Dendemille Town. In Dendemille Town, Professor Sycamore tells Serena about the Legendary Pokémon, Xerneas, before Trevor invites her to the Frost Cavern. What will they find in the unnaturally snowy cave?

Serena and Destiny find themselves on a snowy path leading to a large mountain. Serena begins shivering and trying to warm herself up tirelessly as snow falls onto her shoulders. Destiny sticks close to Serena in an apparent attempt to help her warm up but, due to Destiny’s already chilly presence, it doesn’t help much. The path goes along a cliff-face before reaching a bridge that the girls cross and find Trevor crossing the bridge as well, causing Destiny to disappear as Serena catches up with him and they cross the bridge together. Here, they find another Trainer and a large, brown Pokémon with a blue and white face and large tusks. The Pokémon seems to be worried about something.

“Is something wrong in the Frost Cavern, Mamoswine?” The Trainer asks the Pokémon, the Pokémon responds with a worried cry. The boy turns to the pair, “Are you headed to the Frost Cavern, Trainers?”

“Yes? Is something the matter?” Serena replies with a question.

“Indeed… This Mamoswine here usually can’t get enough of giving people rides on Route 17, but…” The man begins to explain as he pets the large Pokémon, “These days, it seems to be too worried about something in the Frost Cavern to give rides.”

“Mamoswine is a Pokémon that loves cold climates,” Trevor states, “So, maybe it has sensed something amiss in the Frost Cavern.”

“That would make sense,” the boy agrees with a nod, “And, who would you two be?”

“My name is Trevor,” Trevor responds a bit shyly, “I’m researching the distribution of Pokémon in the Kalos region at Professor Sycamore’s request.”

“I’m Serena,” Serena adds on, “I’m just a regular trainer sent on a journey by the Professor. Trevor asked me to come along with him to the cavern.”

“I see,” the boy nods as he seems to ponder something, “So that’s why you’re walking clear out to the Frost Cavern, then. Since Mamoswine seems concerned about something in there, I advise you both to be careful.”

“We will,” Trevor assures him, “Thank you.”

“I have a bad feeling I might know what’s happening…” Serena mutters with a sigh before continuing on her path.

“I’m going to prepare for my expedition first, Sera,” Trevor tells her as she begins to walk off, “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Alright!” Serena calls out and dashes towards the cave entrance. Upon entering the cave, the air seems to warm up-- Only slightly though; and, Destiny reappears at her side, taking in the sight of icicles hanging from the ceiling and snow covering the ground. Strangely, it still seems to be snowing in the cavern.

“Weird... “ Serena examines the snow, “You’d think the snow would be falling from the direction of the entrance.

“You’re right…” Destiny nods, “Maybe it’s a Pokémon’s doing, then?”

“That would seem to be the case, luckily,” Serena agrees, “I thought we were going to have to deal with Team Flare for a moment there.”

“That would be bad…” Destiny replies.

“Very much so,” Serena tells her as she begins leading her through the cave until they reach a patch of ice. Serena steps on it and immediately slips, causing her to slide until she stops at a wall. Destiny runs over to her, unaffected by the ice, “Well, that’s just not fair,” Serena teases Destiny as she climbs up to her feet.

“Wh-What isn’t…?” Destiny asks sheepishly.

“That I slip on the ice and you’re completely fine,” Serena says with a sarcastic shrug.

“I… Sorry…” Destiny looks down at the ground apologetically.

“W-Wait! Don’t be sorry!” Serena immediately stammers to cheer her up, “I’m just messing with you--”

“E-Eh?” Destiny blushes in embarrassment, “I-I see…”

“Hmm… Getting across this ice could be problematic, though…” Serena sighs as she looks across the ice patch. Then, she pushes herself off the wall to the other side, where an entrance to another part of the cavern is with Destiny following closely behind.

“Oh!” Destiny suddenly exclaims as they pass the small tunnel, “Look at those Pokémon!”

“Hm?” Serena looks down from admiring the hanging icicles and spots a herd of blue and tan seal-like Pokémon lying along a large sheet of ice, some look like large balls while others look more like sea lions, “Oh! I’ve never seen those before!” Serena exclaims as she pulls out her Pokédex. The ball-like seals are a species called Spheal, while they seal lion-like ones are Spheal’s evolution, Sealeo.

“They’re so cute!” Destiny gushes over the Spheals as they roll around on the snow and ice. Despite being Ice-Type Pokémon, they don’t appear to be causing the snow, however.

“So, you like cute things, hmm…” Serena nods with a teasing smirk.

“Eh? D-Doesn’t everyone?” Destiny immediately flushes red at the comment, “I-I mean, look at them..!”

“I guess that’s fair,” Serena nods whilst retaining her grin before digging through her bag and grabbing a Poké Ball, “If you’d like, you can try to catch one.”

“Catch one..? I-I don’t know… I don’t think I could make a good trainer…” Destiny replies quietly.

“Who said you have to train it?” Serena replies whilst looking off towards the wild Pokémon, “Many people catch Pokémon just to have as pets or friends. And, if you wanted to be a trainer, I could probably help you.”

“I… I still don’t know…” Destiny shakes her head slightly.

“Are you sure? You seem to enjoy interacting with my Pokémon, so I thought you might like one of your own,” Serena nods as she begins to put the Poké Ball back in her bag, “But, I won’t pressure you into it. Not like there’d be any point in doing so.”

“W-Wait..!” Destiny exclaims, “I’ll try one Poké Ball…”

“Well, alright then!” Serena smiles and hands her the Poké Ball she still had in her hand, “Let’s see if we can get one to come over and I’ll show you how it works.”

“Alright… But, how do we do that…?” Destiny asks as she shyly takes the Poké Ball, “I don’t think they’d want us running over there and throwing this at one of them…”

“Well… I’m not sure, to be honest…” Serena responds as she puts a finger to her chin to think, “I have some Pokémon Food that may be able to attract one, but I’m not sure if wild Pokémon would even recognize it as food…”

“It’s worth a try, I guess…” Destiny nods as Serena pulls out a small container and hands her one of the pellets.

“Try holding this and seeing if one will take it,” Serena tells her, “The Pokédex said they were curious, so I’m sure one will come over.”

“Okay…!” Destiny nods and sits down with her hand extended out towards the group. Within a few minutes, one of the smaller Spheal notices the food and begins rolling over to Destiny like a ball.

“What an oddly effective way to get around,” Serena giggles at the sight. Eventually, the Spheal reaches Destiny, sniffs the food in her hand, and eats it. Destiny is too captivated by the creature to do anything except reach over and begin petting it.

“See, you’ve already made quick friends with it,” Serena smiles down at the two as she hands Destiny another pellet to feed to the Spheal. She takes it and the Spheal eats it happily, “This one looks to be about the level Ruru was when I first met her.”

“Really? Must be really young, then…” Destiny says as she continues petting the Spheal before examining the Poké Ball. Serena bends down to help her figure out how the Poké Ball works as the Spheal seems to wait patiently. Then, after some trial and error, Destiny manages to get the Spheal into the ball, she watches in amazement as the Spheal takes a blue light and enters the ball. The ball shakes three times before clicking, “D-Did it work?”

“Looks like it!” Serena exclaims in excitement, “You did it! You caught a Pokémon!” Serena watches as Destiny picks up the Poké Ball and calls out her new Spheal, who happily looks up at her, “Are you going to give him a name?”

“Names aren’t really my strong suit... “ Destiny admits as she immediately returns to petting Spheal, “Maybe… Bubbles? He has little white spots that look like bubbles…”

“Sounds good to me!” Serena nods and pets Bubbles as well, “Welcome to the group, little one~” Bubbles claps his flippers together happily, “Well then, Destiny, should we get going?”

“Oh! Yes!” Destiny says as she gives the Poké Ball to Serena so she can put it safely in her bag, “I think I’m going to keep Bubbles out…”

“That’s fair,” Serena tells her as she begins to push herself along the ice once again, being careful to avoid the herd of Spheals and Sealeos, who seemed unphased by the capture of Bubbles, who begins following Destiny by rolling around. Destiny occasionally turns back to make sure he’s keeping up.

“You seem happy, Destiny,” Serena says as she examines her behavior.

“Y-Yes..!” Destiny nods, “Thank you…”

“Hmm? Don’t mention it,” Serena smiles at her as they enter another tunnel that leads to another large cave with an even larger sheet of ice on the ground, “This… Might be hard to balance on…”

“Will you be alright if you slip?” Destiny asks as she looks over the ice.

“I will, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt…” Serena sighs as she begins to push herself over the ice. However, as expected, Serena loses her balance and instinctively grabs onto Destiny, who quickly turns a bit red. Bubbles looks up at them, completely oblivious to what happened.

“S-Serena?” Destiny stammers over her words, “A-Are you alright?”

“Aha… Sorry, sorry…” Serena giggles as she pulls herself back up to her feet with Destiny’s help.

“I-It’s fine…!” Destiny assures her quickly, “It was just sudden, is all…”

“Well, it would’ve been worse if you fell, too,” Serena tells her.

“I-I guess that’s true…” Destiny agrees with a shy nod, “If you want… I could help you across the ice…?”

“Ah, yes, that would be nice,” Serena replies with a smile.

“O-Okay…!” Destiny exclaims as she grabs onto Serena’s hands, causing her to almost slip again, “S-Sorry!”

“It’s alright, Destiny, I’ll be fine if I slip,” Serena assures her as Destiny begins backing up, pulling Serena along with her, The ice makes this endeavor significantly easier and harder at the same time.

“Thank you, Destiny,” Serena gives her another smile after a few moments of silence before checking to make sure Bubbles was still following. Destiny gets sheepish at the comment and appears to instinctively start pouting, “Oh? That’s a cute face you’re making~” Serena teases as they reach the other side of the ice.

“Eh?” Destiny flushes even redder, “O-Oh!” She then immediately covers her face in embarrassment.

“Hehe~ Sorry, sorry,” Serena giggles at the sight, “I just haven’t seen you been so expressive yet! I guess that means you’re warming up to me, then~” She continues to tease despite her apology.

“I-Isn’t that normal…? I mean, I’ve been with you for a while now…” Destiny replies quietly, keeping her face covered.

“Hmm… That’s fair,” Serena agrees, “It’d be weirder if you didn’t start warming up to me after two days. Especially after doing things like exploring those ruins! Though, seeing you get scared by that Zigzagoon was also quite adorable.”

“I-It wasn’t…!” Destiny protests sheepishly as she shakes her head, causing Serena to giggle even more.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” Serena apologizes, “I’ll stop teasing you for now. Now, let’s continue, shall we?”

“Thank you…” Destiny responds with a nod, “W-Wait a minute… For now?!” Serena smirks as she continues down her path, followed closely by Destiny and her Pokémon. At the end of the tunnel, however, Serena spots some suspiciously red suits in front of an enormous Pokémon that resembles a snow-covered pine tree. Serena immediately grabs Bubble’s ball and recalls him.

“Eh? Is something wrong, Serena?” Destiny asks as Serena puts the ball back in her bag.

“Team Flare is here…” Serena tells her, “As I originally expected… Though, I didn’t expect they’d bring so few grunts…” Destiny looks ahead and notices them too before disappearing and latching onto Serena’s arm. Serena walks up quietly to listen in on the conversation. That is until Trevor runs up behind her.

“Hey, Sera!” Trevor exclaims as he reaches her, “It’s really cold in here, isn’t it?” Serena nods and motions him to quiet down before he notices Team Flare as well, “Huh? What’s going on up ahead?” Both begin to listen in to the grunts and the important-looking blue-haired woman between them.

“This Abomasnow is a fine specimen!” The woman exclaims, “It’s absolutely brimming with energy. The more we agitate it, the stronger its Snow Warning Ability becomes, making the snow fall even more furiously. Let’s catch it swiftly and get out of here.”

“So that’s what’s going on… I knew the snow in here wasn’t natural…” Serena mutters as she glares at the grunts. The Abomasnow, as they called it, looks worried as it backs into the cavern wall.

“Hey!” Trevor suddenly shouts angrily before running up to confront them. Serena has no choice but to follow him, “Hey, you Poké Ball thieves! What are you doing here?!” The shout of the young boy startled the Team Flare members and they all turn to see what’s happening. The woman gives him a sly smirk.

“What does it look like?” She asks Trevor, “We’re catching Pokémon. Why else would we have grabbed all those Poké Balls?”

“I’m really getting sick of seeing you guys everywhere,” Serena groans, eliciting another sly grin from the woman.

“It was all so we could catch powerful Pokémon like this Abomasnow. It’s full of potent energy!” The woman continues as she turns back to the Pokémon.

“Energy?” Trevor echoes in confusion.

“You’re not the brightest one, are you?” The woman taunts, “Whoever has the most Pokémon and the most energy will come out on top! Lazy people who just wait for things to be handed to them don’t get to have these resources!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to hurt Pokémon!” Serena shouts at the woman, who shrugs back nonchalantly.

“But why is Team Flare amassing Pokémon, energy, and money?” Trevor inquires, “To put it another way, why is Team Flare always trying to take everything for itself?”

“Allow me to spell it out for you!” The woman exclaims, “It’s so Team Flare-- And only Team Flare-- Can survive! After all, why should we care about saving people who aren’t on our side? Anyway, I don’t mind a healthy curiosity, but I’m afraid I just don’t any more time for you.”

“Sera…” Trevor begins as he turns to Serena, “Did they say only Team Flare will survive? These people have a few screws loose…”

“I’d say it’s more than a few…” Serena scoffs and reaches for a Poké Ball.

“You two-- Hurry up and send these kids packing!” The woman commands the grunts by her sides.

“I’ll take care of these grunts, Sera!” Trevor exclaims, “You go get the other one!”

“Right!” Serena replies and runs up to face the scientist.

“Hmm… You seem to be strong! I wonder how much energy there is inside you,” she tells Serena with a scowl hidden slightly by her visor, “Allow Mable of Team Flare to find out! Let’s go, Houndoom!” Out of her Poké Ball comes a black and orange dog-like Pokémon with bones on its body.

“Let’s make this quick, Reign!” Serena calls out and reveals her Pokémon-- A large pteranodon Pokémon emerges from the Poké Ball, “Use Rock Tomb!” Reign flips in the air and brings boulders to him that he then hurls at the opposing Houndoom, who jumps out of the way.

“Not so quickly, Trainer! Houndoom use Foul Play!” Mable commands. Her Pokémon draws in dark energy from Reign and jumps at him whilst surrounded by the energy. Reign flies back after the hit.

“Reign, use Fly!” Serena calls out to her Pokémon, who flies to the top of the vast cavern and soon drops back down onto the opposing Houndoom, sending it back to Mable.

“Houndoom use Fire Fang!” Mable retaliates as her Pokémon sets its jaw ablaze and jumps at Reign, taking a bite onto his wing.

“Reign, quickly throw it off, and use Rock Tomb!” Serena commands Reign, who flips once again and hurls more boulders at the Houndoom, who’s trapped under them. Once the dust and snow settle, the Houndoom is seen fainted under the rocks.

“Wh-What?!” Mable shouts, “Not just strong… TOO strong! Not ordinary, indeed…” Mable then recalls her Pokémon and Serena does the same.

“That’s all you’ve got?” Serena taunts as Trevor finishes his battle, “Please, even that Bryony girl lasted longer!”

“Hrmph! I’ve no patience for losing and being talked down upon by a Trainer like you!” Mable exclaims, “Let’s get out of here!” Mable and her grunts then make a hasty retreat, leaving Abomasnow behind.

“Doesn’t battling with Team Flare scare you, Sera?” Trevor asks quietly after they’re gone.

“Not really…” Serena admits, “Most of them are complete pushovers… That makes their apparent plan seem even more threatening, though…”

“I’ll admit it scares me,” Trevor replies shyly, “I don’t like battling them… But we managed to protect Abomasnow by pitching in there.”

“Right,” Serena nods, “And that’s what matters!” Trevor nods as well as he goes to pet Abomasnow.

“I know I’m the reserved type, and I’m okay with that,” Trevor continues, “But it’s important to be bold when necessary. Mamoswine doesn’t have to worry about Abomasnow anymore because of us. All’s well that ends well!” On that note, Trevor leaves, allowing Destiny to reappear.

“Do you think they’ll really try to…” Destiny begins but is too sheepish to ask the full question.

“Sadly, I do think they’re dumb enough to try,” Serena admits with a sigh, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Alright…” Destiny replies as Serena calls out Bubbles again, who Destiny promptly picks up. Then, both girls head out of the cave and back to Dendemille Town where they rest for the night.


	15. The Monde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After accepting Trevor's invite to the Frost Cavern, Serena and Destiny head there-- Only to find a distressed Mamoswine. Trevor informs them that the Mamoswine may be sensing trouble in the cavern and the girls go to investigate. After some slippery issues and a new catch in Bubbles, the pair find Team Flare at it again and take down Mable, who was using an Abomasnow to cause a blizzard. Now, with all that behind them, the girls head to Anistar City for Serena's 7th Gym Battle.

After a quick rest in Dendemille Town, the girls continue their journey to the next city on their list, Anistar City.

“Huh, Dendemille Town warmed up a bit after everything in the Frost Cavern,” Serena says as she stretches, “I thought it was weird that it was so cold here already.”

“That’s good, then,” Destiny nods as she carries her recently caught Spheal, Bubbles, in her arms, “Where are we going to next?”

“I’m not sure, actually…” Serena admits as she takes out her Town Map, “Looks like… Anistar City is where we’re heading.”

“I see…” Destiny nods as they pass through the gate to Route 17. Upon entering the Route, Serena begins shivering once again as the entire route is covered in large mounds of snow.

“Ah… I see this route is no warmer than the Frost Cavern…” Serena says with a sigh before spotting the man who was with the worried Mamoswine from before.

“Oh, it’s that guy!” Destiny tugs at Serena’s sleeve as she points him out.

“Mhmm… That must mean Mamoswine is feeling better, then!” Serena replies as they pass him with a wave, “He said before that Mamoswine likes giving rides to people, right?”

“I believe so…” Destiny answers, slightly unsure of her memory. They then spot the Mamoswine, who looks happy to see them. The Mamoswine lays down in the snow as if offering a ride.

“I guess that’s a yes,” Serena notes as she walks up. Serena examines the snow and then looks back to Mamoswine, “Alright, Destiny, I think you should go up first-- So you’ll sit in front of me.”

“E-Eh?” Destiny responds with a confused sound.

“Well, you’re smaller, so it’d be harder to find you if you fell off,” Serena explains, causing Destiny to nod in response. Serena then recalls Bubbles and helps Destiny up onto Mamoswine before following after. Mamoswine stands up once the girls are settled and begins walking through the snow.

Serena looks down at the passing snow as Mamoswine turns around a larger mound of snow. Then, she notices Destiny looking over the white landscape. Her face is one of awe, much like the one she wore upon entering the Frost Cavern.

“This must be completely foreign to you by now, huh?” Serena asks suddenly, seeming to snap Destiny back to reality.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this…” Destiny responds as she takes another look around at the near-pristine snow surrounding them. In the distance, the skyline of a city is visible on the horizon, “It’s so pretty…”

“Back in the region I lived before here, we got a lot of snow. Especially up north-- It was nearly impossible to get to the northernmost city!” Serena recalls her old home. The region she used to live in was a colder region with a mountain splitting the region into East and West along the middle, “I used to live in a huge city at the base of a mountain. From what I remember, it was the largest city in the region. They had everything there!”

“I see…” Destiny looks down at the Mamoswine, “Do you ever miss your home, Serena?”

“Oh yeah! All the time, really,” Serena admits with a light-hearted sigh, “But Kalos is great, too! Though, it would be nice to go back someday.”

“Right…” Destiny agrees with a nod, seemingly reminiscing on the village she’d once called home long ago.

“But, for now…” Serena continues quickly upon seeing Destiny’s reaction, “I’m fine here!” Destiny nods in response.

“We should come back to this route again in the future…” Destiny finally says as she looks back up at the snow and the nearing city.

“Hmm? Oh, of course!” Serena replies cheerfully, “Snow like this is a beautiful sight! Much better than that stuffy old room you used to inhabit-- No offense!”

“None taken,” Destiny responds with a very soft giggle as she tries to sit up more. Eventually, the snowy landscape fades and ends at another gate leading to Anistar City. 

“This is our stop, let’s go!” Serena exclaims as the girls leap down from Mamoswine and wave to it as it returns to the other side of the route with another person on its back. However, as soon as Serena enters the gate, she gets a Holo Clip from Calem.

“Serena,” Calem begins as soon as the Holo Clip starts, “This time, I challenge you to a battle in front of Anistar City’s Gym! You’d better be ready!” The Holo Clip ends as quickly as it started.

“A battle, huh?” Serena seems to ponder for a moment, “That sounds like fun, and a perfect bit of training just before the gym battle!”

“Was that the boy you were battling with inside that factory…?” Destiny asks with a tilt of her head. Serena had completely forgotten that Destiny hadn't officially met Calem yet.

“Oh, yeah!” Serena answers, “His name is Calem. He and I have been rivals of sorts since the beginning of our journey. Usually, he challenges me to battles, though.”

“So that’s what you two were doing on that swampy route?” Destiny inquires.

“Yep!” Serena tells her with a nod, “Though, I was slightly out of it for that battle. I’ll be completely in it this time!” The comment confuses Destiny, but she simply nods. The girls continue into the city, which has a large sculpture on the waterfront that appears to be a glorified sundial. They decide to check it out after the gym. Then, once again, the pair are interrupted by a voice from up ahead-- Destiny tries to hide but Serena grabs onto her wrist with a whisper, “There are too many people here.”

“Right…” Destiny quickly darts behind Serena, only peeking out at who’s approaching. This time, it’s Sina, waving furiously as she approaches.

“You there!” Sina calls out as she reaches Serena. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem to take notice of the girl clinging to Serena’s back.

“Oh, hello Sina,” Serena says with a light wave, “Did you need something?”

“I came in place of Dexio to tell you something, so yes!” Sina responds with a nod, “Apparently, there’s a person here in Anistar City who knows about the Legendary Pokémon. You should go check that out.”

“Well… That’s awfully convenient…” Serena mutters as Sina runs off suddenly, “Well… We can look for them after the Gym Battle, too!” Then, after a quick check over her map, Serena locates the Gym.

“This looks like a regular building…” Destiny states as they arrive, “Much different from Valerie’s Gym, at least.”

“That’s true,” Serena nods, “Honestly, this is one of the most normal-looking Gyms I’ve seen in Kalos. No matter, we’re here which means it’s time for my 7th Gym Batt--” Serena is suddenly cut off by the doors opening, and a boy with a recognizable red hat and blue coat steps out.

“You made it quickly, Serena! Let’s go!” Calem’s voice picks up confusion as he spots an increasingly worried Destiny, “Huh? Who’s that?”


	16. The Rivaux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serena and Destiny take a cold trip through Route 16 and eventually reach Anistar City with the help of Mamoswine. The girls are about to enter the gym when, suddenly, Calem emerges from the doorways and spots Destiny behind Serena while challenging his neighbor to another battle. How will the girls react, and what will come of their battle?

“Uh… Serena? Who’s that with you?” Calem asks as he points to Destiny, who was unable to hide before being spotted.

“Huh?” Serena turns to a panicking Destiny before turning back to Calem with a quiet sigh, “This is… Well, her name is Destiny. I met her back in Lumiose City and we’ve been traveling together for a while now.”

“Have you?” Calem responds almost guiltily, “I must’ve been so caught up in training that I never noticed… Well, either way, it’s nice to meet you Destiny!” Calem offers a handshake but Destiny moves behind Serena to avoid it.

“Ah, sorry, she’s a bit shy,” Serena explains. Calem nods and reaches for a Poké Ball around his belt.

“That’s fine,” Calem assures the pair, “But what’s not fine is my losing streak! I can’t keep losing to someone who started the journey at the same time as me! Let’s Battle!”

“Right!” Serena reaches for her own Poké Ball as Destiny backs up to watch from a distance, “Let’s go, Larry!” Serena throws out a red lobster-like Pokémon with a single large claw. The Pokémon lets off a shine in the light.

“Let’s go, Meowstic!” Calem calls out with a toss of his Poké Ball that releases a small blue and white cat Pokémon with ruffled fur.

“Larry use Dark Pulse!” Serena commands her Pokémon, who begins collecting dark energy in his large claw.

“Not so fast! Meowstic use Fake Out!” Calem responds. His Meowstic runs up to Serena’s Clawizter and fakes a large hit, causing Larry to flinch, “Now, use Shadow Ball!” His Pokémon then raises its ears and creates a ball of darkness that it launches at Larry. Larry is surrounded in shadows momentarily.

“Larry, use those shadows to your advantage! Dark Pulse again!” Serena directs. Her Pokémon once again collects dark energy from the surrounding area, this time pulling the shadows from Meowstic’s attack in as well and firing a pulse of darkness at the opposing Meowstic, the attack causes Meowstic to slide back.

“You alright, Meowstic?” Calem asks his Pokémon who gives him a nod, “Great! Use Psychic!” His Meowstic raises its ears once again and hurls Larry into the air before slamming him back into the ground. Larry manages to pull himself back up.

“Alright, Larry! Use Surf!” Serena retaliates as her Pokémon collects water in his claw that he then launches in a huge wave at the opposing Meowstic. Once the water fades, Meowstic is seen fainted on the ground.

“Tch…” Calem groans as he recalls his Pokémon, “Alright, Absol! Finish this!” Calem then sends out a white and black dog-like Pokémon with a large horn on its head shaped like a sickle, “Use Swords Dance!” The opposing Absol creates a barrage of clashing swords around itself, boosting its morale to fight.

“Be careful, Larry,” Serena warns, “Use Surf again!” Larry collects water in his claw again and shoots a wave of water at Absol.

“Absol, jump, and use Night Slash!” Calem responds swiftly. His Pokémon jumps into the air towards Larry and uses its horn coated in darkness to slash at Larry, knocking him out instantly.

“Hmm…” Serena thinks for a moment as she recalls Larry, “Alright, show them what you’ve got, Honeysuckle!” A glow emerges from the next Poké Ball that morphs into the shape of a large, grassy goat and takes color, “Use Bulldoze!” Honeysuckle uses her front hooves to slam the ground and cause vibrations that knock the opposing Absol off its feet.

“Absol, use the tremors to your advantage! Use Slash!” Calem smirks as his Absol jumps back onto its feet and propels itself using the shaking pavement and slashes Honeysuckle’s chest with sharp claws.

“You alright, Honeysuckle?” Serena calls out, eliciting a nod from the Mount Pokémon, “Alright, let’s show them your new move! Use Horn Leech!” Honeysuckle rears back and ducks her head as her horns begin to glow green, “Go!” Honeysuckle chases down the opponent’s Absol and headbutts it before leaping back. The impact caused the Absol’s energy to be sucked into Honeysuckle’s horns, healing her HP.

“Impressive,” Calem nods, “You and your Pokémon always seem to be one step ahead of me… But, I won’t stop here!” Absol nods and prepares for its next attack, “Use Night Slash!” Absol’s horn is covered in dark energy as it runs toward Honeysuckle once again.

“Alright, Honeysuckle, use Double-Edge!” Serena calls out as her Pokémon charges at the oncoming Disaster Pokémon, gaining more speed as the two get closer before impacting with a huge tackle and launching Absol back to Calem’s feet. Absol has fainted. Honeysuckle shakes her pelt as the recoil does damage to her as well.

“Tch… You did your best, Absol,” Calem quietly applauds his Absol before recalling it to its ball, “Alright, let’s mix things up! Go, Flareon!” Calem then sends out a new face in his team, a red Pokémon that appears to be a chimera of a fox and rabbit, among other things. The Pokémon sneezes upon taking shape, causing a small ball of flames to shoot out of its mouth.

“A fire type, huh? This might be a tricky fight for you, Honeysuckle,” Serena states. Honeysuckle nods in response.

“Flareon, use Lava Plume!” Calem commands. His Pokémon raises its head and launches fireballs into the air from its mouth. The fireballs surround the Pokémon and scorch everything around them. Honeysuckle seems to be greatly weakened by the attack.

“Can you still fight, Honeysuckle?” Serena asks, causing her Pokémon to assume a charging stance, “Great! Use Double-Edge again!” Honeysuckle rushes at the Flame Pokémon, gaining speed as she nears the opponent.

“Be careful, Flareon! Use Flare Blitz!” Calem quickly responds to the attack. His Pokémon covers itself in flames and runs towards Honeysuckle. The two collide, sending each other back to their trainers. Flareon shakes the flames off its body, it looks to have been injured slightly by the flames. Honeysuckle slides back to Serena before collapsing.

“You did well, Honeysuckle,” Serena recalls her Pokémon with reassuring words before pulling out a third Poké Ball, “We’ll end this quickly, Reign!” Serena tosses the ball into the air, causing her Aerodactyl to emerge and begin flying around.

“There’s the one I feared the most… Flareon, this will be tough but stay strong!” Calem reassures his Pokémon, “Use Lava Plume!” Calem’s Flareon looks up to Reign and spits fireballs from its mouth once again. A few of the fireballs miss but the ones that hit explode on Reign, sending him higher into the air.

“Reign, let’s go! Mega Evolve!!” Serena lifts her wrist and places her hand on her keystone. The Mega Stone attached to an anklet around Reign’s leg reacts and large, rocky spikes sprout from the Fossil Pokémon, “Use Iron Head!” Reign immediately dives towards Flareon and headbutt it with great force.

“Before it gets away like we practiced, Flareon!” Calem calls out. Suddenly, his Flareon jumps onto Reign’s back as he flies back up into the air by biting down onto the large spike coming out of Reign’s shoulders, “Now, use Flare Blitz!” Flareon begins spewing flames from its mouth that cover its body.

“What?! Reign, use Fly!” Serena calls out in shock as Reign dives back toward the ground while trying to shake off the opponent.

“Put your all into it, Flareon!” Calem’s words cause Flareon to create even bigger flames that cause an eruption of embers upon the two hitting the ground. Reign flies back into the air and Flareon jumps back to Calem, both are hurt significantly.

“Woah…” Serena quickly glances at Destiny upon hearing the girl’s marvel over the scene. The sudden look causes Destiny to blush in embarrassment at interrupting the battle. Serena smiles before turning back to the Pokémon.

“That was some impressive moves, Calem,” Serena smirks, “But it’s gonna take more than that to defeat us! Reign, Crunch!” Reign dives at Flareon once again with his jaws exposed.

“Wait for it,” Calem tells his Pokémon as his Flareon prepares its next attack. Reign bites down on Flareon from the side and flies back into the air while carrying him, “Now! Use Lava Plume!” Flareon spits fireballs onto Reign’s wings, making him lose control of his flight and they both plummet to the ground between the two trainers. Both Pokémon faint in the collision.

“I wasn’t expecting your newest Pokémon to beat Reign so easily, especially with the type disadvantage…” Serena sighs and recalls Reign as Calem does the same for Flareon, “Seems like your training is paying off.”

“Of course it has, there’d be no point in doing something if it was all for nothing!” Calem responds as he sends out his next Pokémon. A large frog with its tongue wrapped around its neck like a scarf.

“That’s not true, there’s plenty of things you can do without expecting anything in return! Like helping someone with something!” Serena retorts, “Let’s go, Citrus!” Serena then sends out a Pokémon that appears to be a large, fluffy flower.

“Well, even helping someone gives you something, you know? You gain trust and friendship with those people,” Calem replies,” Greninja, use Water Shuriken!”

“Citrus, dodge and use Moonblast!” Serena calls out as her Florges uses the rising moon’s energy to create a ball of magic she then launches at the opposing Greninja. Two of Greninja’s shurikens manage to get through and hit Citrus, however.

“So you’ve evolved your Floette, huh? I wasn’t expecting that…” Calem sighs, “We’ll still give it our all, though! Greninja, use Ice Beam!” Greninja collects a ball of water between its hands that freezes and fires out in a straight beam at Citrus. The beam freezes her in place.

“Huh?! Citrus, use Misty Terrain!” Despite Citrus being frozen, a layer of mist fills the area that melts the ice around Citrus.

“Ugh… This thing is full of surprises…” Calem mutters in annoyance, “Greninja, use Water Shuriken again!” His Greninja jumps up and launches five shurikens at Citrus, all of them make contact, pushing her back towards Serena.

“Let’s finish this, Citrus! Use Petal Blizzard before it hits the ground!” Serena quickly commands. Her Pokémon creates a violent petal blizzard that surrounds Greninja and hits it from all directions, “Now, use Moonblast!” Citrus once again fires a ball of magical energy into the Greninja that sends it into the gym wall, causing it to faint.

“Agh… Using my Geninja’s lack of aerial mobility to counter his speed…” Calem recalls his Pokémon dejectedly, “My Pokémon are a lot stronger now, and our counters to your Pokémon are getting better, but you and your Pokémon are still just barely out of reach…” 

“I should be careful, honestly…” Serena recalls Citrus, “Your strategies are getting more and more complex as we go on.”

“That’s good to hear, at least,” Calem nods, “Here, I should heal your Pokémon,” Calem begins doing so before speaking again, “You’re strong. I knew there would be lots of tough Trainers out in the world, but I wouldn’t have guessed that my neighbor would turn out to be the one to beat!” Calem turns to Destiny, “You’re in good hands by sticking with Sera.”

“Eh…?” Destiny tilts her head slightly like a Lillipup, “In good hands…?”

“Ah, nevermind that,” Calem turns back to Serena, “Well, just keep doing what you’re doing and defeat the Gym Leader.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on losing!” Serena replies with determination.

“By the way, Serena, we were all planning on meeting up at the sundial tomorrow morning. You should come,” Calem stands back up.

“The sundial?” Serena turns to look at the large crystal-like structure on the pier in the distance, “ suppose I could come if Destiny would be fine meeting the others. If not, she could probably stay in the room, I guess…”

“I-I’ll be fine…!” Destiny replies quickly as she runs back up to Serena’s side, “Your friends seem nice, anyway…”

“That’s the spirit!” Serena hops excitedly at Destiny’s response, “We’ll be there!”

“Great!” Calem nods, “Welcome to the group, Destiny. Now, I’m going to go train some more-- I can’t keep losing to you!” Calem runs off down the road.

“Good to see you’re warming up to the others,” Serena says after Calem was gone. She continues to stare at the sundial as she speaks.

“W-Well… There’s no way they’d know I’m a ghost, right…?” Destiny looks over to the sundial as well. Serena nods and turns back to Destiny.

“Well, not that I can think of!” Serena assures her, “You’re a bit cold, but so is the air around here, so it should be fine!” Destiny smiles lightly, “Anyway, we should have just enough time to fight the Gym Leader before we head to a hotel.”

“R-Right! You can do it!” Destiny raises her hands in fists energetically. Serena smiles before taking Destiny’s hand and running into the gym.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first written story of any kind! I hope you enjoyed it as I do wish to bring you all more chapters!
> 
> PS: Sorry if chapters are delayed, writing some things like pokemon battles can get super exhausting-- But, I'll be sure to finish Kalos so I can begin other regions and experiment with my writing style for these pokemon stories!


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